Playing the Memories
by Adellabella
Summary: When Hatori sees a young woman about to be hit by an on-coming car, he does what anyone in that situation would do. He saves her. But a certain family curse will complicate the aftermath...HatorixOC
1. Saving the Seahorse

**A/N**: Hee, this is my very first story, hope you guys like it! Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated!

**Disclaimer**: I, Adellabella, do not own nor claim to own the anime and/or manga of Fruits Basket nor any of its characters. I wish I did though, but then again who doesn't? Please remember that I am a (wannabe) author, my imagination works in strange ways. If any of my story's plotlines seems similar to any of your stories, it would have been purely coincidental. And though I would apologize for it, I will _not _change anything. This story will follow the timeline of the anime, because I am too lazy to include the drama in the manga and because Akito's transsexual-ness confuses me. *smile* This applies to all chapters of the story.

**RE-CONSTRUCTED & RE-POSTED ON: 04/29/10**

**Note: **I noticed so many inconsistencies with the original chapter! *sigh* Like the fact that Akane didn't get Hatori's clothes while they were still outside but then I mentioned that Hatori used his clothes to cover himself inside their apartment. I'm so glad I decided to edit the first few chapters! Also! Akane's attitude is slightly inconsistent with the way she acts in the later chapters, so I'll be changing the way she acts here. Anyway, I just wanted to point out to the readers that I do notice my own mistakes. :) I'll be re-constructing the next few chapters and then post them again. Thank you guys for all of your patience!

Enjoy!

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**Chapter 1: Saving the Seahorse**

It was around ten o'clock in the evening.

A young girl no older than twenty-five was taking a walk through the park, her hair whipping around her face as another cool gust of wind hit her rosy tinted face, wincing slightly as a stinging sensation came to her eyes. _That idiot…_she sighed to herself, thinking about the past occurrences she had had with her older brother.

"_Can you get some stuff for dinner Kane-chan? I forgot to buy groceries." A young man asked as he washed his face in the bathroom sink. The young woman, Akane or as her older brother, Ruo, referred to as 'Kane-chan', appeared at the bathroom door._

"_Idiot, I thought you were supposed to be the older one here?" the young woman retorted with an annoyed look on her face, her wild red hair dripping wet from her previous shower, "Including going out to get food _alone_ in the _dark _when the _younger_ one forgets to do so?"_

"_Well I was busy doing…doing…" Ruo tried defend himself, keyword, _tried.

"_Doing?" the redhead egged him on as she glared menacingly at the man as he wiped his face on one of the white towels hanging on the long rack, "Come on then, what is it you have been doing during all that free time you had, huh?"_

_Ruo shifted his eyes nervously from side to side when he couldn't think of a legitimate excuse, "Aww…come on Kane-chan, please? Like you said, I'm the older one here, you have to take care of the elderly." he countered with a sigh and a woeful look on his young face._

"_You're 3 years older than me Ruo, how old can you get?" Akane replied while placing her hands on her hips and raising an eyebrow questioningly._

"_Please?" Ruo begged as he clung on to Kane's leg, his damp hair wetting her pants. Akane buried her fist playfully in the dark brown hair clinging to her legs, causing the man to bite at it jokingly._

"_Fine, fine. I was going to go for a walk anyway, but you'll be stuck with instant food," she reluctantly agreed while shaking the unwanted arms latched around her trapped legs._

"_That'll be fine Kane-chan! Thanks you!" Ruo exclaimed in a sing-song voice while beaming at his younger sister, the smile turning into more of a triumphant one rather than a thankful one. Akane paid no heed to it though and punched his lightly on his exposed shoulder as he stood up from the floor._

"_Your welcome, Onii-chan." she replied with a small smile on her face._

The young girl sat down on one of the park benches and let out a big sigh as she thought back on the conversation with her older brother.

_He seems more of a child than I do…_

The young woman had dropped of the grocery bags at their apartment and left for the park right after eating, the cold November air serving as refreshment from her apartment. "He really needs to grow up…" she giggled to herself before letting a yawn escape her pink lips. Akane glanced at her watch and gaped when she saw that it was nearly 11:30. The redhead finally stood from the bench and it was just then that she realized that she was the only one in the area.

"Kinda scary…" she observed as she looked back to the direction heading to the apartment. She shivered as the breeze picked up and started blowing her red hair in all directions.

_God, it's so cold. I can't even imagine what it will be like during winter…_she thought grimly, tugging her jacket around her body. Ah, but the luck of the Irish. Sadly, Akane isn't Irish for when she started to take the first few steps towards the road back to her and her brother's apartment, it had started raining.

_Hard._

"Godamn you!" she shouted at the sky as the fat raindrops kept falling on her already wet face, drenching her already soaked body. She took a moment to realize what she had just said and chuckled at her little joke. A rather loud strike of thunder followed suit after Akane's outburst, causing the angry woman to glare even harder at the dark sky.

"What have I done to you!?! I've been a good girl! I haven't lied!" she shouted at the dark sky, stomping on the cemented floor, a small puddle gathering in a pothole splashing back at her angrily.

_Much…_

"I haven't stolen!"

_Well that slice of cake in the refrigerator looked really delicious…_

"Cheated?"

_Poker game last week…_

"Ah, screw it…" she mumbled at her subconscious as she started running further down the cold, wet road. As she crossed the street to get to the side her apartment building was on, two bright blinding lights suddenly shone through the thick rain, shocking the woman to stillness as the lights approached her quickly.

"Motherfu-" Before she could even register what was about to happen nor finish her rather un-lady-like statement, she felt a body collide with hers and push her out of the way of the screeching car driving down the rest of the road before turning at a corner. Akane sat up instantly from the ground just as she had hit it and searched for the person who had saved her life, and probably her brain from exploding due to too many curse words.

But instead of meeting the eyes of her savior, she saw…

_Nothing?_

"Where'd they go?" she thought aloud as she stood up from the wet ground, paying no attention to her soaking coat clinging to her legs or to the rain calming down lightly.

_Where the hell did they go? _She didn't even notice anyone approach her to push her out of the way of the car; she did notice though, the white shirt, black pants, necktie, shoes and socks lying on the ground next to her feet."Where did these come from," she asked nobody in particular, picking the now wet articles of clothing from the floor. She blinked questioningly as she noticed something small and dark fall out of the folds of the clothes.

_What the…_

Akane was more than shocked to see a small seahorse gasping for breath on the dark road. "What the heck is a seahorse doing here!?!" she exclaimed pointing at the small creature accusingly, taking a step back from the scene.

"Wa…ter…" the seahorse wheezed out.

"D-d-did you just talk?" she stuttered out the question nervously, taking another step backwards before tumbling to the ground, the clothing falling out of her arms and back to the road. Akane stared at the poor creature then laughed to herself silently. "Silly me, animals can't talk, that's just stupid. Must have been my mind playing tricks on me." she said quietly, trying to convince herself more than anyone else.

_I need a life._

"_Wa…ter…_" the seahorse wheezed out again, its curly rail twitching ever so slightly

"Hah! You did talk, I'm not crazy!" she smiled smugly to herself before focusing her attention back to the seahorse on the ground. She scooped up the small gasping animal in her hands then nodded determinedly. "Water! Right! Sorry, umm…Mr. Seahorse!" she exclaimed, reverting back to her nerve-racked state. Akane placed the seahorse in her lap and shrugged of her shoulder back, pulling out a conveniently placed thermal of water.

She then opened the cap and dropped the seahorse in, holding the body of the bottle while grabbing the scattered dirty clothes around her. The drenched woman ran to her apartment building and entered its lobby's door, appreciating the immediate warmth the room provided her with. Some of the attendants rushed to get her some towels and hot tea, but Akane pushed them away and headed straight for the elevator.

A soft _ping _was heard signaling the arrival at her floor. Akane stumbled out of the elevator and ran down the hallway, hastily glancing at each corner while looking for the room she had already so many times entered.

_807…808…809…There! 810!_

Akane shoved her hand down the pocket of her soaked jeans, fumbling with the soggy material. Finally, she pulled out the key hanging from a bell keychain, the soft tinkling soothing her bristling nerves. After pushing the door open and entering, she immediately ran to the kitchen sink, clogged it with the metal cap and filled it up with water. She added some kitchen salt into the rising tap water and then finally, poured the contents of the water bottle—including the seahorse—into the sink.

"Akane? Is that you?" the faint voice of Ruo asked from the living room.

"Yeah! It's me Ruo! I'm in the kitchen!" she shouted back as she stared, no, _glared_ at the seahorse floating gently in the water. Her hands gripped the sink's corner so tightly that her knuckles turned white from the death grip, the clothes she had found now lying forgotten on the sink's counter.

"Why is the carpet all wet? Did you just get back now? It's raining you know, you could catch a…" he trailed of as he eyed his sister hunching over the sink. "What _are_ you doing Kane-chan?" he questioned the young girl as he raised an eyebrow at her turned body.

"It talked to me, Nii-chan…"

"What?" he asked leaning over to his younger sister.

"It talked to me, Nii-chan! The seahorse! It talked to me!" Akane shouted with huge eyes as she looked back at the older man, her grip on the sink loosening. "It _talked_ to me!" she shouted with panic, her death grip transferring itself to her brother's t-shirt.

"Seahorse? Are you alright, Kane-chan?" he asked as he patted her hands comfortingly while peeking over to the sink.

"Are you coming down with something? And what is a seahorse doing in the sink?" he asked, placing his hand on her forehead then his free hand to his own, comparing each of their temperatures.

"Nii-chan! I'm not-" she exclaimed while swatting away her brother's hand, but was interrupted as a loud _'poof'_ erupted from the sink. And there, standing in the middle of the Yoshikuni siblings' kitchen, was a man.

A very hot man.

A very hot _naked_ man.

"Oh my God."

A loud thud was heard as the young Akane fainted and landed on the kitchen's marble floor. Ruo then proceeded to step over his sister's non-moving form and approached 'The Mysterious Man from the Sink'.

"Hey, the name's Yoshikuni Ruo." the older Yoshikuni introduced as he held his hand out to the irritated looking man.

"Sohma Hatori." he replied, snatching his clothes from the sink's counter to cover his…umm, _areas_ with it. He was very thankful that he did not have to bow, due to his state of…well…his state of _Nudity_.

Yup, that's right. Capital 'N'.

"Nice to meet you! I'll go get you a towel." Ruo replied with a toothy grin on his face. He then left for what Hatori guessed was the restroom.

_Is this guy on something? I just transformed in front of him and he's still making introductions?_ Hatori thought as he stared at Ruo's retreating form. A minute later, Ruo reemerged from the kitchen's door, now holding a white towel in his hands.

"Here you go!"

"Oh, thank you." Hatori said mutely as he wrapped the towel around his waist. "Excuse me, but may I use your restroom? And will she be alright?" Hatori questioned the other man as he eyed the knocked out woman.

"Oh don't worry about her!" he replied while nudging his sister's backside a little with his foot. "She's just peachy!" he said, laughing lightly at his sister's innocence, "Just go into the living room, first door on the right. There are extra towels in the cabinet above the mirror."

"Very well, I appreciate your hospitality." Hatori replied, shooting another scrutinizing gaze at Akane, but nonetheless left the kitchen to search for the restroom. As soon as Hatori was out of hearing range, Ruo stepped over his little sister's form, crouched down and started poking at her face.

"Hmm…I guess I found my new source of entertainment." He said quietly as he stood up and laughed to himself quietly. "It's about time you get a love life sister dear." He said to himself as he left the kitchen and sauntered over to the living room couch, leaving his poor defenseless and wet sister on the cold kitchen floor.

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_My head._ Akane groaned incoherent mutters as she stirred slightly from the carpeted floor. _Oww…_

_Why is there a carpet? I fainted in the kitchen…Nii-chan must have transferred me then. _Akane winced as a dull ache echoed through her head while shifting in the soft confines of what seemed like a blanket. _I wonder what happened to that seahorse guy…_At the thought of said seahorse guy, Akane pushed herself up from the blanket wrapped around her body. The first thing she saw were the two men talking over some hot tea.

"She was in the middle of the-" Hatori then stopped talking as he noticed the now awake and curious girl. "Good morning, Yoshikuni-san." Hatori nodded politely to the young woman lying on the floor. Akane nodded to him in return. Thankfully, he was now clad in a grey shirt and black pants.

"Oh, you're still here…" Akane said as she felt heat suddenly rise to her face as she recalled the earlier incident. She glanced at the clock hanging over the door, blinking dumbly as the hand ticked from one spot to another. _1:30._

"I take it that's not a good thing?" the mysterious man replied with his eyebrow raised slightly.

"No! It's not that, it's just that I thought you would leave after…you know…" she said as the blush rose to her face, the heat even spreading over her ears. She had nearly forgotten that her older brother was there and very much aware of what was playing before his very eyes. That is, of course, until he decided to interrupt Akane's little 'blush-fest'.

"Oh, my dear baby sister! This is Hatori Sohma. He was just telling me of your little 'deer-in-the-headlights' episode." Ruo said with a look of satisfaction as realization appeared on his little sister's face.

"That was you? Oh, thank you for saving from what seemed to be a very bad way to go." she said as an unhappy sigh passed through her lips. Akane's flat expression left just as quickly as it came, though, as it was suddenly replaced with a look of embarrassed guilt."I'm sorry for being so rude to you before. It's just not everyday I find a seahorse on the road and then it suddenly turns into a man." Akane apologized, bowing timidly before fixing her gaze onto her hands resting comfortably on her lap.

_A naked man at that…_Akane's redness increased as she mentally slapped herself for letting her thoughts drift away to pervert land.

"Well, I have to admit you have a very colorful language." Hatori replied as he looked at the blushing woman, taking another innocent sip from his tea. "As for the seahorse incident, I already discussed it with your brother while you were asleep. I will be picking you up and bringing you to my home to explain everything. You will also have to meet the Head of the Sohma Family." he explained briefly, looking at Akane with a hard look.

"Well, that's how she is Sohma-san. I told her before that it is so unbecoming of a young woman, but does she listen? Never! Do talk some sense into her Sohma-san!" Ruo exclaimed, referring to Hatori's earlier statement, with a pitiful expression on his face.

_He reminds me of Ayame…_Hatori thought with a small smile playing on his lips.

_Is he turning gay…_Akane thought grimly as he continued to comment about her 'unbecoming habit'. "Nii-chan! Stop it!" she scolded through gritted teeth as she glared at his older brother's giggling form.

_Wait, giggling?_

Akane double-checked if what she saw was correct, and it was. He really was giggling.

_Yup, definitely turning gay…maybe that Hatori dude…_Akane's thoughts trailed of as a deep blush crept onto her pale face. _Hold it right there! Those thoughts are not going any further!_

…

_Well…they would have had a lot of time to… _Akane shuddered to herself, a deadpan expression appearing over her pale face. "Disturbing," she muttered to herself, throwing a few head slaps to shake the image out of her head. Ruo and Hatori exchanged a look as they watched the redhead knock her head a few times and mutter things along the lines of 'disturbing' and 'not thinking about it'.

Ruo sighed loudly, earning himself the attention of his younger sister. "Why must I be cursed with a crazy, self-loathing, schizophrenic sister?" he asked, turning to give Hatori a sad smile. "You have it easy, Hatori-san."

"What was that?" Akane bit back at her brother, glaring at him through green eyes. "I didn't quite catch that." Ruo sighed, more loudly this time, then patted Hatori on the knee.

"Plus, you don't have to live with a deaf person," Akane's fist found its way to Ruo's head, bonking it hardly as a vein throbbed angrily on her temple.

"Shut up, idiot."

Hatori watched silently as the two siblings argued. He smiled gently, fighting off the name that just seemed to re-appear in his head all the time. _Kana…_He frowned lightly before pushing the name back to the corner of his mind then looked over to the Yoshikuni sibling's once more, interrupting their small quarrel.

"Excuse me, but I better get going. It's almost two o'clock." Hatori stated glancing over to the wall clock.

"Hatori-san," Ruo called the attention of the doctor just as he stood up. "Why don't you stay here for the night? It's still dark outside and it is still drizzling. I can just lend you some clothes in the morning and we can just go to your place together." Ruo continued as he looked at his little sister. "We don't mind, right Kane-chan?"

"Y-yea, it'll be fine." she agreed, forgetting the earlier argument with her brother and allowed a small smile to grace her face.

"Alright then, if it's alright with you." Hatori replied studying the faces of both siblings.

"I assure you, it's just fine! We can all sleep here in the living room, I can just sleep on the couch since we only have 2 futons." Ruo said as he walked over to a cabinet beside the bathroom.

"No!" Hatori suddenly exclaimed. The Yoshikuni siblings looked over at each other and then warily looked at the dark haired doctor. "The…circumstances of my…condition," Hatori explained slowly as he cast a quick glance at Akane then fixed his gaze back to Ruo.

"Oh! Right, silly me for forgetting," Ruo exclaimed, slapping his head with a 'pft', "Kane-chan will sleep on the couch instead!" Ruo concluded while giving his sister a bright smile. "Okay?"

Akane rolled her eyes at her brother. _We could've just slept in our own rooms and allowed him to sleep in your room or on the couch…_the redhead thought idly to herself, but nevertheless, agreed. "Yeah, okay."

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Akane pulled off her comforter and grabbed the two pillows that had fallen to the floor. She walked back outside of her room and dropped it carelessly on the couch, positioning the pillow so that her neck wouldn't get stiff from the arm rest in the morning. She looked over to her brother as he emerged from his room, now sporting two of his own pillows and blanket.

"I'll just take shower, Nii-chan," Akane said, eyeing her still damp clothing, "I feel icky."

Ruo chuckled at her sister's words then waved her off, spreading the blanket over the two futons. "Alright, alright." Akane then retreated back to her room, picked out her night clothes, and then went back outside to where Hatori sat formally on the now ready futon.

"I'll just be a minute," she said to the doctor then entered the bathroom. She placed all of her belongings in the sink, making sure the surface was dry. She then proceeded to strip herself of her still slightly damp and extremely cold clothes and placed it into the dirty clothes bin.

The young woman went through her nightly routine and closed the hot running water once she had finished washing off all traces of soap left in her hair and body.

Akane slowly stepped out of the shower, once making sure all the steam has disappeared and put on her pajamas. She wiped some fog off of the mirror and studied her reflection.

She looked thoughtful as she gazed into the mirror. Her red hair clung to her face, neck and back, still soaking from the hot shower she took. The green eyes shifted from feature to feature, scrutinizing each carefully.

"_Akane-chan, do you know where your name came from, darling?" a woman asked, pulling a small girl of three onto her lap. The small girl's green eyes looked at her mother's, smiling brightly as green met green._

"_Nope, what does it mean, mama?" the child questioned while shifting in her mother's lap and leaning back against her chest. Akane closed her eyes as her mother's voice drifted through the wind, the soft lullaby-like tone comforting the child greatly. _

"_It means deep red, just like your beautiful hair," the woman replied as she stroked her daughter's uncontrollable hair. Akane's eyes opened wide and looked back at her mother and smiled proudly._

"_Eh? But you have pretty red hair too mama! So I'll be Akane One and you'll be Akane Two!" she stated as she turned in her mother's lap and threw her hands around the frail woman's neck. The young woman just smiled and laughed at her young daughter's logic._

"_Go play with Ruo-chan now, dear," she said, lifting the girl from her lap and setting her back on the ground. When Akane peered over to her brother then looked back worriedly at her mother, she the little girl slightly towards Ruo's direction. "Go on."_

"_Will you play too, Kaa-san?" the little girl questioned staring intently at her mother._

"_In a bit…" _

"_Okay then!" Akane smiled as she ran over to where her brother was making sand castles._

A few months after that, their mother died of cancer. Akane was four years old and Ruo seven. They continued to live with their father, who didn't exactly have time nor the money to spoil his children. Their father was just so devastated, and everything just went downhill from there.

The two siblings had understood their situations though, since their mother was the one who had a steady source of income and ever since she passed away, he was struggling to financially support himself, moreover the two kids.

Once Ruo had turned of legal age though, he asked their father whether it would be alright to bring Akane to his apartment with him once he got a good paying job.

He agreed, and promised to contribute as much as he can without having to starve himself. They do visit each other on occasions, mostly when they visit their mother's grave.

Akane hadn't noticed the small tears forming in her eyes as she reminisced about her mother. She quickly wiped them away as she heard someone knocking on the bathroom door.

"Kane-chan! Hurry it up!" Ruo shouted through the other side of the door.

"Just a second!" she then brushed her teeth and gathered the rest of her belongings. When struggled to push open the door, smiling gratefully at her brother as he pulled open the bathroom door. The smile died down though as he shot her with a serious look.

"You were thinking about her again, weren't you?" Ruo asked, giving his sister an accusing stare.

"I miss her, is all," Akane replied guiltily, suddenly taking a huge interest at the floor and at her feet. Ruo's gaze softened slightly as he studied his sister's slumped expression.

"We can visit her right after we meet this Akito guy, if you want." Ruo offered, ruffling his sister's wet hair. Akane swatted it away and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Akito?" Ruo nodded and shook the small droplets of water on his hand.

"The head of the Sohma family. They treat him like a God or something, I hear."

"Oh, okay." Akane replied shuffling her feet on the carpeted floor. As the two were enveloped in a pregnant silence, Akane sighed and looked up at Ruo, giving him a small smile. "Thank you, Nii-chan."

"No problem, kiddo."

The two siblings then went to their respective makeshift beds and snuggled in, the two laughing softly when they noticed that Hatori was already asleep on his own futon.

"Goodnight, Nii-chan."

"Goodnight, Kane-chan."

_**End Chapter 1**_

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**A/N: **I'm pretty proud of myself! Woohoo! Well, that's the first chapter. Hoped you all liked it and once again, constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. Review please!


	2. Meeting the Sohmas

**A/N**: Here we gooooooo! *Peter Pan's voice*

**RE-CONSTRUCTED & RE-POSTED ON: 04/29/10**

**Thanks To:**

**Euphoric-Dysfunction **- Thank you so much! Your support is very much appreciated! I actually thought of taking this story down, since it didn't seem that liked, but I hope you find the up coming chapters to your liking!

Enjoy!

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**Chapter 2: Meeting the Sohmas **

The younger Yoshikuni sibling woke with a jolt falling off of the uncomfortable couch in the process. She was surprised to hit a soft futon, instead of the carpeted floor of the apartment.

_Oh yeah, Sohma-san and Nii-chan stayed here…_she though as she rubbed her eyes, trying to get the drowsy feeling to go away. Akane scrunched up her eyes for a bit to get used to the light streaming in through the open windows. When her eyes had finally adjusted, she looked at the empty futons she had landed on.

"Eh? Where'd they go?" she thought to herself as she stood up from the blanket covered futon.

"Nii-chan? Sohma-san?" asked Akane as she stretched her arms. She winced slightly as she heard a bone crack.

_Damn uncomfortable furniture…_she thought as she glared at the cream colored couch. _You're going to the dump… _Akane then ventured to the kitchen while patting down her hair in an attempt to tame her bed hair.

Correction, _couch_ hair.

Once Akane entered the kitchen, she was, to put it lightly, surprised to see Ruo cooking. Not only did the image of her older, undependable, and lazy brother do housework scare her, so did seeing him in a pink, frilly, apron.

_I think I just lost my Nii-chan, and instead gained a Nee-chan._ She thought as she stared at her bustling brother. He then took a glance at his sister's blank deadpanned expression.

"Ah! Kane-chan, you're up! It's about time too," he said as he placed the ready to eat egg on the plate. He then cracked open another egg and placed it in the frying pan, making a hissing sound as it hit the oily surface.

"Morning, Nii-chan, Sohma-san." she said politely as she took her place at the dining tale.

"Good morning, Yoshikuni-san," replied Hatori just as politely. "I hope you slept well."

"Huh? Oh yea…" Akane replied absent-mindedly. She toyed with a lock of her hair, twisting it then pulling it back straight then twisting it again. She sighed as the thought of sleep drifted back to her mind.

_Actually, no…_she thought as she slumped in her seat and rested her head on the table. _Bed…_Akane yawned as she dreamt of her sweet soft bed calling to her during her time of need. The redhead stiffened then looked up suddenly, looking sharply at the back of her cooking brother.

"Nii-chan, if you can cook, why did you have me do the cooking all this time?" she asked as her brother placed more eggs onto the plate and served it to both Hatori and Akane.

"Oh…well, first of all, it's just eggs Kane-chan, and second of all, I'm too lazy to do it regularly. But I'm just putting my best foot forward for our guest!" Ruo exclaimed with a happy grin on his face as he took his seat between Akane and Hatori.

_Future brother in law…oh yes, eat the eggs Hatori-san, eat the eggs…_he thought as cackled menacingly in his mind, never noticing that a few snorts escaped his nose.

"You okay, Nii-chan?" asked Akane as she stared at her demented looking brother. "You look constipated…" she commented as she took a large bite out of her egg.

"I am not constipated thank you very much! And is that how you thank your Onii-chan for making a wonderfully delicious breakfast? By making fun of his face when he is in his happy place? Huh, Kane-chan?" Ruo asked as he stared disapprovingly at his younger sister while patting her head, messing up even more her already messy hair.

"Whatever…_drama queen_." said Akane as she finished the last of her eggs and taking a big gulp of her milk.

"You mean drama _king_." he corrected her as he too finished his eggs.

Akane looked thoughtfully at the ceiling for a second, as if contemplating whether to admit if he was right or not. She suddenly snapped her gaze back to Ruo, except now with a smug look plastered over it, "Nope, queen."

Ruo then glared playfully at his snickering sister.

"You're just _jealous_. Tomboy." When Akane was not able to think up of any more insults that could insult his gender preference, she just huffed and left the room, making the older brunette smile proudly at himself for a job well done.

"I'm going to take a bath! I'll be out in a while!" the faint voice of Akane drifted to the kitchen as the Ruo scooped another egg onto his plate.

"Alright! Hatori and I will just talk for a bit!" Ruo shouted back, flashing the now slightly worried doctor a sly smile.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"So, Hatori, you're a doctor right? Ruo asked as he placed his and Hatori's dishes in the sink. The older Yoshikuni wiped his hands on the kitchen towel hanging idly in one of the cabinet's handle before taking the seat across from Hatori's.

"Yes, I am." he replied, his olive green eyes glancing back at the brunette smiling at him.

"I see, you and my sister are in almost the same field of work, only, she attends to animals." Ruo mentioned and leaned back against his chair, his smile and gaze never leaving the doctor's.

"Oh, a veterinarian?" Hatori raised an eyebrow, not believing that someone like her would take on such a messy job. Ruo nodded understandingly, as if he were used Hatori's reaction.

"Yes, I keep telling her to consider a different line of work, considering she has asthma…" Ruo trailed off, sighing as he visibly slumped in his seat. "But she never listens to me."

_She has asthma? Now that's just stupid…_Hatori thought as he forced himself to keep the comment from escaping his mouth. When the taller man didn't reply, Ruo coughed silently.

"…or if not change her line of work, at least get a love life, a boyfriend perhaps…" Ruo said. He glanced back at Hatori, hoping that he had hinted to the him that Akane was still single without making it obvious what he was trying to imply.

Unfortunately, this is Hatori we were talking about.

"At this rate, even a girlfriend would be fine!" Ruo added as an after thought as he saw the annoyed look playing on the doctor's face. He laughed merrily, trying to get the doctor to stop giving him that nerve wrecking look.

Slowly, his merry laugh turned into a nervous one.

"Well, anyway, I'll just be going to do some, manly stuff…" Ruo said inching towards the doorway that separated the kitchen and the living room. "Akane will be done in just a minute, you can shower after her and I'll leave the clothes you can wear in the bathroom sink." Ruo finished before bolting out of the kitchen and slamming the door to his room once he had reached inside.

Ruo had not realized though, that his hand had still been in the doorway when he had slammed the door in desperate attempt to escape the doctor's inquisitive stare. As the door impacted on the fingers of his hand, it swung back open, obviously unable to close properly.

Ruo looked at his fingers, then the door, then back to his fingers. Apparently, it was just then that he felt the pain settle into his poor abused fingers.

"_**AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!**_"

Hatori, from the kitchen, had heard the male Yoshikuni scream in a voice, 10 octaves higher than his normal tone. He rushed from the kitchen to the living room, where Ruo was kneeling on the floor, clutching his left hand with his right.

The doctor immediately took on his role as he examined the hand of the older Yoshikuni. He suddenly heard another door slam open as a disoriented Akane stepped out of the bathroom door, soaking wet and holding a bar of soap in her hand. There was something else wrong but he couldn't put his finger on it…

Oh, yeah.

The petite redhead was dressed in nothing but a towel. In fact, she was in nothing but a _wet_ towel that clung to her body like a fluffy second skin. He stared at the redhead's face making sure that his gaze never left hers. Just to make sure that his eyes did not venture, _downwards_.

"Sohma-san! What happened? I heard a scream an-" Akane stopped mid-interrogation as she felt cold air hit her body.

_Is there a draft in here?_ She looked down at her towel clad body then back to meet Hatori's cold glare. Heat suddenly crept up to her cheeks and stuttered nervously as the blush reached her ears and spread like wildfire.

"Ah! S-sorry!" she then rushed back into the bathroom and slammed the door shut behind her. As she stood with her back against the wooden door, she felt herself slide down and landing with a soft 'thud' on the wet marble floor.

_What the hell just happened?_

Akane then re-entered the shower, closing the glass door behind her. She washed off all remnants of soap and once again, stopped the water from running. She sighed as she got a fresh towel from the cabinet above the mirror, since the towel she had used earlier had been soiled with soap.

_So much for not spending too much on laundry…_

She used the new towel to dry her wet body then hung it carelessly on the towel rack near the door as she retrieved her clothes from the sink. Akane then hastily put on all articles of clothing on, snatching the towel from the rack and wrapping her hair in it. After brushing her teeth and washing her face with facial wash, Akane exited the bathroom, turning off the lights just before closing the door.

When she turned to face her living room though, the sight that greeted her was most amusing. Ruo was sitting on the cream colored couch and had what seemed to be tear stains on his cheeks. Hatori was kneeling on a knee on the carpeted floor and had his hand been holding wrapping a skin colored bandage around the limp looking hand.

From where Akane had been standing though, it did look like Ruo was crying, it did look like Hatori was kneeling on one knee, it did look like he was holding his hand, but she was just not able to see the skin colored bandage Hatori had been wrapping around Ruo's hand.

Saying that this came across to Akane as an amusing shock, was the understatement of the year.

_Is Sohma-san confessing his love to my Nii-chan? _She thought as she stared at the two men's hands for a second before fixing her gaze back to the two men themselves. Unfortunately, she had actually said that out loud, and the two men were looking at her with a panicked expression.

"Kane-chan! It's not what it looks-"

"It's alright Nii-chan, I won't judge you. I just want you to be happy." she said as she smiled lovingly at the two men. "You two look good together."

"No, no, no, no! He was just bandaging my hand! See!" Ruo replied as he showed Akane the bandage that had been hanging off his hand, since Hatori had not been able to secure it properly.

"Oh, sorry, I just thought…" she trailed off as she stared sheepishly at the two men in front of her. Akane coughed slightly with an sheepish look on her face then resorted to changing the subject. "Was it you then who screamed earlier, Nii-chan?" she asked, as she took a seat next to the now calm Ruo and the working Hatori.

"Yeah, I slammed the door to my room, but apparently my fingers had still been in the way." he explained then sniffed hardly. "It hurt like hell."

"I can tell Ruo-san. Now I know where Akane gets her colorful language." Hatori stated with a bland tone, as he finished wrapping the hand and stood up.

"Well, it really did hur-" Ruo was interrupted before he could finish defending himself as Akane started giggling like crazy.

"Kane-chan?"

Giggle, giggle.

"You _screamed_, Nii-chan." she was able to squeeze out those three words before another wave of giggles hit her. The two men twitched as they watched the young girl try to control her fit of laughter.

"Well I'm glad you can laugh at the expense of my pain." Ruo said sarcastically as he glared at his now calm downed sister.

"No problem, Nii-chan." Akane replied giving a lopsided grin to her older brother.

"Humph, _anyway_, Sohma-san and I will just take our turns in the shower, we can then grab lunch out then go meet this Akito person. Does that sound fine?" Ruo asked as he studied the two other people in the room. Seeing no objections present in their faces, he continued, "Great! Sohma-san, you go first!"

The silent man nodded then headed for the bathroom. He stopped mid-stride, catching the Yoshikuni siblings' attention once more.

"What's wrong Sohma-san?" Akane questioned as she noticed the doctor turned to face them once again.

"I don't have any…" the stoic doctor trailed off, hoping that one of them would understand. He didn't exactly know how to say he doesn't have any unmentionables.

"Underwear?" Ruo finished for him, chuckling as he nodded, a very light tint of pink appearing on his pale face. It was hardly noticeable, but still there.

"No need to be embarrassed, I had your clothes laundered in the laundry area last night, you don't need to borrow clothes from Nii-chan anymore," Akane cut in for her brother while pulling the towel out of her hair, eyeing Hatori's shame-filled face. "They were able to dry it before today." she explained as she saw the older man visibly relax.

"They're now in Nii-chan's room. I'll go get it for you."

"Thank you, Yoshikuni-san." Hatori thanked her with a small awkward nod of thanks.

"Akane," she said while allowing a smile to show at the doctor's growing awkwardness.

"Excuse me?"

"Call me Akane, Sohma-san."

"I must insist, then, that you call me Hatori."

"Very well, Hatori." Akane replied silently before leaving to get Hatori's clothes in Ruo's room.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The trio was finally able to leave the Yoshikuni's apartment building by around eleven thirty, just enough time to head into town and get some lunch before going to the Sohma Main House.

"So, Hatori-san, where would you like to eat?" Akane broke the silence as she shot a quick glance the quiet doctor walking behind her. She walked happily with a visible skip in front of the two boys.

"Anywhere would be fine. You choose, Akane-san." Hatori replied lightly. Akane frowned disapprovingly, the skip in her step disappearing.

"Nonsense! You're the guest! You choose where we eat." Akane stated as she looked over her shoulder at the two men walking behind her. When she received no answer, she slowed down her pace and fell back to the middle of the doctor and her brother.

"Come on, don't be shy, I'm sure any place you would like to eat is a great choice!" She exclaimed as she looked around the area, hopefully finding something the doctor might agree to.

"My dear Kane-chan! Why don't you ask your _loving_ brother where _he_ would want to eat, eh?" Ruo asked sweetly as he batted his eyelashes at the now irritated Akane.

_I can finally try out that ramen place that just recently renovated! _Ruo thought excitedly as glanced at his sister, waiting for a response.

"Oh shush you. You'll probably pick some tacky ramen place anyway. I'm letting Hatori-san pick." She stated firmly, nodding her head for emphasis.

"That hurt sis," Ruo exclaimed, wincing a little for dramatic effect, "…right here." He continued as he pointed at his chest where his heart was located. Or rather, where it was _supposed_ to be located.

"So, got anything in mind, Hatori-san?" Akane asked as she focused her attention back to the handsome doctor towering over her at her left.

"What about here? My cousins and I go here to eat from time to time." Hatori said as his gaze fixed itself to a brightly colored restaurant.

"Sure, it does look nice." She said studying the outside of the shop intently, and then looked at her brother. "What do you think, Nii-chan?"

"Huh, oh yeah, looks pretty…" He said kicking some rocks he had found on the road, his hand in his jeans' pockets. It seems like he was still sulking from before because he wasn't able to pick the restaurant they would eat in.

"Aww…don't sulk Nii-chan. It doesn't look cute anymore," She said with a teasing tone, but then got serious when he still didn't respond, "C'mon, Nii-chan, I'll get you some ice cream later, just stop sulking."

Ruo's green eyes instantly lit up at the mention of his favorite treat, "Yay! Love you, Kane-chan! C'mon then, what are you two waiting for? Let's eat!" he then ran into the store and sat in the last booth of the right side of the restaurant.

The two peered into the restaurant and caught the wave and beckoning motion of Ruo. Akane sighed then looked at Hatori with a sheepish grin, "Well? Let's get going then."

"Ladies first, Akane-san."

"Thank you, Hatori-san."

As the pair walked into the restaurant, Akane suddenly felt eyes bore on her, the tingling feeling at the back of her spine causing goosebumps to appear on her skin as well. Akane shifted beside Hatori and brought her arms up to envelope herself in a semi-hug.

"It's pretty cold in here…" she muttered silently as she gave an involuntary shiver.

"You think so? Ruo-san got us a seat in the back anyway. The AC unit shouldn't hit you from there." Hatori said as they neared the table Ruo had occupied.

"Hatori?" A familiar voice asked. Hatori twitched slightly when heard the very familiar feminine voice and snapped his head to the direction it came from. A vein in his head began to throb when he saw several of the Sohmas and Tohru Honda sitting in one of the larger booths.

"What are you all doing here?" Hatori questioned all of them as he tried to keep his temper in check, each second a nerve of his breaking in irritation. When he noticed all of them staring at blankly, his last nerve snapped. "What?!"

"Where were you last night?" a small blonde boy asked Hatori, a lollipop handing from the corner of his mouth which made his words a little hard to understand. "You never came home, Haru-chan had to stay with me!" he complained as tears gathered in his eyes. Akane started to panic with guilt as she the little boy cry, looking up at Hatori to try and make him comfort the small boy.

"Ha'ri? Was it because you were this young lady here?" An older man with shiny silver hair asked. It seemed like he was probably around Hatori's age. "It's about time you had moved on, and onto such a delicate and exotic beauty too!" He continued as, for a split second, his eyes flicked over to Akane's deep red hair. He surprisingly managed to get a firm grip on her hand as well.

"And what may be the name of the lovely flower that has captured the heart of our dear friend here?" the silver-haired flirt questioned her as he delicately kissed the top of Akane's knuckles.

"I-I don't know, it certainly isn't me, if that's what you're thinking." Akane replied as she took back her hand from his grip and looked back at the still twitching doctor, "I'm going over to Ruo, okay?"

Hatori nodded slightly, ignoring Akane as she turned to look back and gave him a worried glance. As soon as she was out of hearing and seeing range, he glared at the silver haired snake. "What do you think you were doing?"

"What? Oh, my dear Ha'ri, I just assumed that you were with her last night since you _are_ with her today. It makes sense!" Ayame stated as he looked over to another dark haired man, "Isn't that right, Shigure?"

"Well, it does seem suspicious, and if you weren't with her, then where exactly were you last night?" Shigure asked as he raised an eyebrow, a playful smile on his lips while he looked at the doctor who had now taken a seat as well.

"I was at her apartment-" Hatori was cut off by the loud, shrill, and _irritating_ squeal of a certain silver haired snake.

"Oh I knew it! Look kids, Hatori-san has a new girlfriend!" Ayame exclaimed clapping his hands in pure merriment.

All eyes were suddenly on the annoyed doctor and suddenly, a bomb of questions had been thrown, all directed to the defenseless Hatori Sohma.

"How long have you two been together?''

"Have you kissed her yet?"

"What were you doing in her house last night?"

"She knows about the curse." Hatori curtly replied, seizing all of the questions that had been thrown at him. A thick and uncomfortable silence enveloped the booth as the Sohmas and Tohru let the new information sink in.

"How?" Yuki cut through the silence when he questioned the doctor, already feeling pity for the woman he hadn't even met. Knowing Akito, she was really going to need it.

"That's what I'm going to have to discuss with you two." Hatori snapped as he looked at the now somber looking Shigure and Ayame.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Hatori-san is taking a while." Akane mumbled worriedly as she took a sip of her green tea.

"Oh don't worry! He did stay with us last night; he's probably explaining why he didn't come home last night." Ruo reasoned with his sister as he took a gigantic bite out of his order.

"You really should have waited for Hatori before you ordered you know. It's rude," she complained as she looked at her brother through hooded eyes. Ruo shrugged nonchalantly and took another bite, making the younger woman roll her eyes in annoyance. "It's as if you've been derived of food for years…" she sighed again as she took another sip of her drink.

Akane looked back to where Hatori's friends had been sitting then pouted childishly as she searched for the now missing Hatori.

"Where in the world is he?" Akane asked curiously as she craned her neck to glance at the booth the other Sohmas had been sitting in. At the lack of response, Akane shifted her gaze to her still eating brother. "God, can't you think of anything but filling up that bottomless pit of yours you call a stomach?"

"Oh calm down, will you? He's outside of the restaurant, see?" Ruo pointed out to the three forms outside of the restaurant's glass door and Akane had noticed that one of them was the missing doctor. Akane rose in her seat to look outside of the restaurant, and there Hatori stood with the silver-haired man that had suggested her and Hatori being an item and another dark-haired man she recalled to see in the group.

"Oh, you're right. Sorry," Akane ignored her grumbling stomach, forcing herself to be the better of the two Yoshikunis and wait for Hatori. A few minutes of sipping idly and loud crunching sounds from Ruo later, Akane's green tea was no more, Ruo ordered another plate of food and still no doctor in sight. Akane moved to cal for a waiter but jumped as she felt Hatori slide in the booth to sit next to her, an irritated look on his face.

"Are you okay, Hatori-san?" She questioned him, her eyebrows furrowing with curiosity. _What happened outside? _Akane kept the question buried in her throat though when she noticed the tall man's agitated aura.

"Yes, Yoshikuni-san, _I'm fine_." He stressed out those last words through gritted teeth, clearly lying his way out of an interrogation.

Akane narrowed her eyes at him but shook her head dismissively. "Okay then," she said as she called for a waiter, deciding not to press the subject any further.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Once the three had finished their meal, they paid their bill and headed for the doorway. Akane and Ruo shared a confused look when they noticed Hatori picking up his pace when they passed by the booth occupied by his cousins and the young brown haired girl.

"Eh? Ha'ri, where you going off in such a rush?" the dark haired man with Hatori outside the restaurant asked as he approached the now frustrated Hatori.

"I told you Shigure, I'm bringing these two to the Sohma Main House." Hatori replied as he pinched the bridge of his nose, annoyed that Shigure took the time to approach him and the Yoshikuni siblings. The man who Hatori had called Shigure looked over to where the Yoshikuni siblings were standing, looking as clueless as ever.

"I'm sorry, allow me to introduce myself, I am Shigure Sohma." he said, more flirtatiously than politely, taking Akane's hand and planting a light kiss on her knuckles. Shigure chuckled lightly at the blush that appeared on the redhead's face and the nervous stutter escaping her lips.

_D-d-do all Sohmas do this? He's just like that silver haired guy…_Akane thought as she discreetly pulled her hand from his. "Akane Yoshikuni." she replied, shaking off the nervousness and tilted her head towards the taller figure beside her, "This is my brother, Ruo."

"These are my cousins, Ayame, Momiji, Haru, Kyo and Yuki, this is their friend Tohru," Shigure recited excitedly, pointing to each person when their name was called out.

"Nice to meet you all," It was Ruo who replied this time as he smiled at them. Ruo studied the Sohma's hair colors, raising an eyebrow at the hostile expressions the orange-haired and purple-haired guys gave him and his sister.

"So anyway, we're just about done, why don't we accompany you, Haa-chan?" Ayame interrupted with a flamboyant wave of his hands as he looked over to the teenagers and Shigure.

"Why don't you think before saying anything you idiot snake? There's no way I'm going to the Main House!" Akane jumped at the sound of the orange-haired kid who Shigure had introduced as Kyo shouting. Shigure patted his shoulder consolingly, asking him to tone his voice down.

"For once, I agree with the stupid cat." The one named 'Yuki' replied, crossing his thin arms over his chest. Akane was shocked to believe that Yuki was actually a girl before jumping again at the sudden loud exclamations of Kyo.

"What do you mean, 'stupid cat'? You damn rat!"

"I mean you're a stupid cat. Or is even that too hard for you to understand?"

"P-please don't fight!" the small girl, Tohru, cut in nervously as she held her hands up in an effort to ease the two's anger. Akane blinked at the scene before her, clueless that this was a regular routine for them.

"Umm, Hatori-san, don't you think we should get going? Akane and I still have something to do after the meeting with Akito." Ruo interjected the fight as he patted the said doctor on the shoulder. All Sohmas visibly stiffened as Ruo mentioned the name of their so called, 'God'. And amazingly enough, even the dense Ruo had noticed the change in mood. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No Ruo-san. You're right, we had better get going. Haru, Momiji, you might as well come along," Hatori replied as a little blonde girl…no, wait…little blonde boy stood up from the table along with an older looking teenager.

"Okay Ha'ri!" The blonde boy yelled as he walked over to Hatori. "Come on Haru! Hurry it up!" he said as he walked over to where the doctor and the Yoshikuni siblings were standing.

"Coming, coming." the older boy mumbled as he too walked over to them. "Let's get going then." Akane gave a small smile at the two addition to their small group, laughing as the one called Momiji pulled on her arms.

_Are all Sohma guys this handsome?_ Akane thought idly as she studied Hatori, Momiji and Haru. _I bet they have girls swooning all over them. _

"Hey, hey!" Akane looked back down at the bright brown eyes shining back at her, resisting the urge to just pinch his cheeks and coo at him, "You're Hatori's new girlfriend right? I'm Momiji! Want a lollipop?"

Akane turned bright red at the assumption, shouting out hasty denials. Her complaints were cut short though as a round object was shoved in her mouth making her eyes cross in order to look down at the thin stick left hanging out of her mouth. Akane looked at the black and white haired boy holding the lollipop's wrapper and grinned sheepishly at him, pulling the sweet candy out of her mouth.

As the Yoshikuni siblings left for what they had though was a normal meeting with a normal Family Head, of a family unfortunately burdened with an unusual curse, they had never expected the dangerous and yet eventful experience they had in stored for them.

_**End Chapter 2**_

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

**A/N**: I'm pretty proud of the ending line…it kinda leaves you in suspense right? …Guess not… Anyway, you know the drill, review, review, review! Oh, and of course constructive criticism is once again greatly appreciated!


	3. Visiting the God

**A/N: **Well, here's the third chapter! I get to work on it much more now, since our school's exams are over! Hmm…I've noticed that there are more fluff scenes between Ruo and Hatori. At this rate, even I'm wondering if Hatori will end up with Akane or Ruo. *snicker*

**RE-CONSTRUCTED & RE-POSTED ON: 04/29/10**

**Thanks To:**

**Euphoric-Dysfunction**- Thanks again! Your reviews give me the will to carry on! So yeah, I decided that you were right. I shouldn't make the chapter dark, I had a hard time of coming up with an idea of how the meeting would go…sigh…I hope this would be sufficient!

**Sister Dearest**- Thanks…I guess. Haha, anyway, you better review your ass off!

**xXxSanzoxGoku4LifeXxX**- My twin halfway across the Earth! How I love you so! Thank you for your very much appreciated review! And I am very glad to have IMed you randomly as well!

Enjoy!

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

**Chapter 3: Visiting the God**

Akane bit her lower lips. The silence was eating at her. The group had fallen into step with each other; Momiji's light humming the only sound emanating from them. Akane ran a hand through her hair, wincing as it got tangled in a few knots. Though no complaints were heard from either of the two families, Akane knew that they were uncomfortable with her and her brother there with them.

Most especially when Ruo had mentioned their meeting with Akito.

_Their eyes are so dark, so sad and empty…_Ruo thought grimly as he remembered the look on Yuki's face when he mentioned _his_ name. _Akito…the curse must not be all fun and games. And I'm sure that this Akito person isn't making it any better for them._

Akane nudged her brother silently. The Yoshikuni siblings then lagged behind from the three Sohmas.

"You okay, Nii-chan? You were zoning out…" Akane asked softly as she looked worriedly at her frowning brother.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just that, did you notice the others' faces when I mentioned Akito. They were scared." he replied silently, furrowing his eyebrows while contemplating. He noticed the flash of fear in their eyes, Yuki's being stronger than most.

"It doesn't mean we should be scared. They probably just got surprised that we knew about the curse…or something." Akane reasoned just as silently, sighing when she realized that it wasn't Ruo she was trying to convince. Ruo, sensing the distressed look on his sister's face, quickly changed the subject.

"Eh! No need to worry about it, Kane-chan! That's probably it, I mean, I doubt they go gallivanting around saying that they turn into animals when you hug them." Ruo teased as he flicked Akane's ear softly.

A mental image of the Sohma men skipping down the road blabbing about the curse to random people appeared in Akane's head. She laughed silently and shook the image away.

"Yay! You laughed! I win!" Ruo shouted as he threw his hands in the air, laughing a hearty laugh.

"Nii-chan!" Akane laughed silently as she slapped Ruo on the arm. "Well, you're probably right. No need to get worried, right?"

"Yup!" he replied happily, pulling Akane into a hug. "No need to worry, baby sis."

"Nii-chan! I'm not a ba-" Akane's complaint was cut short though when the deep voice of the silent doctor called the two's attention.

"We're here." he said as they both looked up to see their first of the Sohma Main House. The two felt their mouths dropped as they examined the huge wooden doors, 'Sohma' written on a stone tablet beside it.

"Wow…" they sighed out simultaneously, still gaping at the huge entrance.

"C'mon! C'mon! Let's go in now, okay?" Momiji said as he tugged on Akane's hand, pulling her towards the wooden doors. Akane let herself get dragged through the doors like a rag doll, still in shock at the large amount of property she never would've guessed their family had.

"Sohma-san?" Akane asked timidly, suddenly more nervous than ever for the meeting she had with the head of _this_ kind of family. She shivered as the breeze picked up the scarf wrapped lazily around her neck flapping around her and Momiji's body.

"Ka-chan! Don't call me 'Sohma-san'! You make me sound so old!" Momiji complained, his bright smile turning into a cute pout. Akane nearly melted at the cuteness of the small boy in front of her before reverting back to her stuttering self.

"Momiji-san, then?" she asked quietly, craning her head to look around the area. Not noticing the boy's pout turn into an amused laugh.

"Nope, nope! It's Momiji-chan! Okay?" he shouted loudly as he let pulled her along the tree-lined road. "You call me Momiji-chan, and I call you Ka-chan!"

"Alright then, Momiji-chan." Akane replied, finally gaining some confidence at the warm disposition of the laughing rabbit. "You're cute." she commented, holding a hand over mouth to giggle lightly.

"Really? You think so? My other classmates say it's weird for me to dress up like a girl…but you think it's cute, right?" Momiji came to a sudden stop and held unto both of Akane's hands, unshed tears glistening at the corners of his eyes. "You think I'm cute, right?"

"Of course, Momiji-chan! You must get a lot of admirers! I can just imagine what it would be like when you reach high school!" Akane consoled him gently, immediately warming up to the German youth.

"Well, I _will _be high school next year, why don't we wait and see?" Momiji replied as he latched back onto Akane's hand and started walking, fortunately for Akane, at a slower pace. Akane gaped at him n shock.

"Eh? You'll be high school next year?" Akane asked, not bothering to hide her obvious surprise. "You're kidding, you look way too young, Momiji!"

"I'm fifteen, silly Ka-chan!" he replied, laughing at the woman's fish-out-of-water expression. "I'm the same age as Haru!"

"Haru? Oh, Haru!" she exclaimed and stopped mid-step, looking back at the distance. When she saw the two other Sohmas and her brother nearing them, they decided to sit down on a nearby bench while waiting.

"Hey, Momiji-chan…" Akane muttered silently as she looked at her hands, folded on her lap. "What's Akito like?" She immediately regretted asking the young boy, because just as she mentioned his name, his usual bright brown eyes darkened sadly. "Y-you don't have to answer Momiji-chan…" she said as took the little bunny's trembling hand in hers. "I'm sorry for asking."

"No, it's okay Ka-chan!" Momiji replied, as small smile playing on his lips. It was a forced smile, but still a smile. He slowly let his feet swing up and down, his legs too short to reach the floor. "Akito…well, as you know, he's the head of the Sohma Family, and what we, the members of the Zodiac, call 'God'."

"God? Why would you call him that?" Akane questioned as she let go of the boy's hand.

"Do you know the story of the Chinese Zodiac, Ka-chan?" he asked as he got up from the bench he was previously sitting on. Momiji continued when he saw Akane shake her head, 'no'. "The legend was that one day, God invited the twelve animals to his banquet that was going to be held the next day, and told them all not to be late."

"But the mischievous rat told his neighbor, the cat, that the banquet was the day after tomorrow…" Momiji said as he jumped unto the bench railings.

"M-Momiji! That's dangerous!" Akane interrupted the story as she stood to bring the small boy back on the chair.

Momiji ignored her instructions and gave her a small, distant smile, continuing with the story when the redhead calmed down slightly. "The cat believed the rat, and slept while the banquet was already happening. The poor cat was dreaming of the banquet that would never happen…" he finished telling the story with a sigh.

"The God the legend was talking about is supposed to be Akito then?" Akane asked as she tried to pull Momiji back into his seat.

"Yeah…" Momiji replied with a solemn expression. "But, here's a game! Guess what animal I am, Ka-chan!" the sad look on his face disappeared was quickly replaced with a happy one as he pointed at himself teasingly.

"Well…I would have to say-" Akane gasped as Momiji's foot slipped of the thin railing, spreading her arms out to catch the falling boy before he hit his head.

_Poof!_

There, in Akane's arms, sat a little yellow bunny. She giggled slightly as she rubbed Momiji against her cheek. "The bunny…it suits you, Momiji-chan." Akane said as she kissed the bunny on its head. "But being sad doesn't."

"No worries! I'm not sad anymore! That's because you kissed me Ka-chan!" Momiji exclaimed squirming around in Akane's arms in an attempt to find a comfortable position. "You're so warm Ka-chan!"

"Thank you, Mom-"she was cut off again when Haru, Hatori, and Ruo approached the bunny and Akane.

"Momiji!" Hatori scolded Momiji as he picked up the fidgeting bunny in Akane's hands. "You should be more careful."

"Ah! Hatori-san, it was my fault, I accidentally pulled him and he landed on me." Akane explained while looking down worriedly at the bunny now held in the man's larger hands. "I shouldn't have been so careless."

Hatori's eyes narrowed as he eyed Akane. "You'll do well to remember that."

_Arrogant bastard…I told him it was an accident._ Akane fumed as she frowned at the doctor's face.

"Eh! Ha'ri! I want to stay in Ka-chan's arms!" Momiji whined as Hatori held him by his arms. "I want to stay with Ka-chan!" tears started spurting out of the bunny's distinguishable brown eyes, shouting complaints of Hatori being mean.

Hatori tapped the bunny on his pink nose and chided him softly, "No Momiji. You stay with me, or you hop all the way until you change back."

"Fine! I'll hop the way!" Momiji huffed as he leapt out of Hatori's arms, landing on the ground with a soft thump. Akane giggled slightly as Momiji started hopping beside her.

"You're so adorable, Momiji-chan." she commented as the little bunny struggled to keep up with her long strides. "Here, I'll help you." Akane picked up the small bunny and held him in her arms. When said bunny was lifted from the ground, he looked at Akane, with a shocked looked on his furry face. Sensing Momiji's head turned to her, she looked down at him and caught his gaze. Akane laughed at the expression on his face and hugged him even tighter.

"I don't have to listen to what he says, Momiji-chan." Akane whispered to the giggling bunny. She held him at arms length then winked at the still laughing Momiji, "He's just jealous, because his Zodiac form isn't as cute as yours." she said in a voice loud enough for said man to hear.

Hatori rolled his eyes at the young woman who was 'whispering' to the giggling bunny, "Act your age Yoshikuni-san."

"Why don't _you _act _your_ age," Akane replied to the doctor, now holding Momiji closer to her chest, "Grandpa." she teased, innocently sticking her tongue out to Hatori's back. The two other Sohmas, along with Ruo started snickering as the silent doctor scoffed.

"I have no time for this, and besides…" Hatori said as he stopped in front of another door. "Welcome to the Sohma Main House."

"But I thought we were already in the Main House." Akane questioned the doctor who was approaching another set of wooden doors. It was similar to the first set, but beside the hinges of the doors were wooden carvings of the twelve Zodiac members.

"Well, technically, everything from the first set of doors we went through, including what is beyond this door is the Sohma Estate. But the area we just went through is what we call the 'outside'." Haru explained with a bored expression as he too neared the wooden doors.

"Everything inside the doors here is the Sohma Main House, or the 'inside'. Every single person living in the Sohma Estate is, well, a Sohma. But only those who are part of the curse and who know of the curse can live in the Main House." he finished as the group entered the double doors of the Main House.

The Yoshikuni siblings stared in amazement at the sight that lay before them. The sidewalk had been lined with huge houses, and if no house was found, a beautiful garden would be. Having a first glance at the Sohma Main House, you would never have guessed what kind of curse they were going through.

"This is huge…" Ruo exclaimed as he surveyed the entire complex. "And I mean, _really_ huge!"

"Momiji-chan, this is amazing! You live here?" Akane questioned the yellow rabbit in her arms, unconsciously stroking the soft fur she found behind one of his long ears.

"Yup, I do! And so does Haru, Kagura, Hiro, Kisa, and Hatori too!" Momiji explained as they continued to trek along the road, leaning into the woman's soft fingers.

"Kagura? Hiro? Kisa? Are they part of the Zodiac too?" she questioned again as bent down to place the little rabbit down.

"Yeah, they are! But, Ka-chan! Why'd you put me down?" the bunny asked sadly, eying the smiling woman.

"You've been a rabbit long enough, Momiji-chan."

"Aww…but Ka-chan!" he whined as he once again struggled to keep up with the others. "I wanna be with you for a little while longer."

"Momiji, it's about time you change anyway." Haru reasoned out as he slowed down his pace, soon walking beside the bunny and Akane.

"Oh, fine, but it's your fault if I get really tired, Haru!" Momiji replied as he frantically hopped in the direction of Hatori's house.

"Don't worry Momiji, I'll walk slower so you won't have a hard time, okay?" Akane said as she indeed slowed down even more her pace. Haru eyed the girl through the corner of his gray eyes, scrutinizing her kind gaze towards Momiji softly.

_Or are you just trying to delay your meeting with Akito? _Haru thought as he studied the woman.

"Thanks Ka-chan! You're so kind!" Momiji said as he relaxed his pace, hopping with the two in a steadier pace.

"You're pretty kind yourself, Momiji." she laughed silently as she closed her eyes and enjoyed the silence.

"Really? But you're cute too, Ka-chan! Really cute!" Momiji continued as he hopped along beside Akane's feet. "Don't you think so Hatori?" he shouted over to the doctor who was walking slightly ahead of the trio.

"Momiji, stop playing around." Hatori replied stiffly as he quickened his already fast pace. Ruo looked to him as he evaded the question, giving him a pointed look as he smiled slyly.

"Eh? What's this? Hatori-san, are you blushing?" Ruo teased as he poked the doctor's cheek. "My, my, my…I think you are!"

"Ha'ri has got the hots for Ka-chan!" Momiji laughed playfully jumping around in small circles. "Ha'ri and Ka-chan sitting in a tree!" he sang as his laughing increased and hopping sped up, just in time to hop beside Ruo.

"K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Ruo continued, wagging his fingers in time with the tune. Behind them, Hatori, Akane and Haru felt sweatdrops slide down their heads

_It's hard to believe the age difference between the two._ The three thought simultaneously as the watched the antics of Ruo and Momiji. "Grow up, Nii-chan." Akane shouted as he whacked her brother on the head. "It's only cute when Momiji does it, you old man."

"Yay! Ka-chan still says I'm cute!" Momiji shouted as he jumped up and down several times. Akane's head nodded in sync with Momiji's hops then slowly shook her head from the approaching dizziness.

_Poof!_

"Aww! I wanted to be a bunny a little while longer!" Momiji whined as he stood where the yellow bunny once was.

"Oh! Sorry, didn't see anything!" Akane screeched as heat evidently crept up to her face. She turned on her heel, walking in long strides to hide behind the amused Haru.

"Here are your clothes Momiji," Haru said as he tossed the blonde said articles. "Go change behind the tree or something." he mentioned jokingly as Momiji did what he said, trying to fight off the smile creeping up his lips.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Early in the afternoon, the group of five had finally settled in the living room. Hatori served them tea, Akane graciously accepting hers. She smiled as the warm liquid overwhelmed her senses, a big change from the piercing wind they walked through outside.

"Stay here while I tell Akito that we have arrived." Hatori barked at the siblings as they settled in his living room, taking an occasional sip from their cups. "Momiji, Haru, keep them company."

"Alright, Ha'ri! Good luck!" Momiji shouted as he waved the doctor good bye.

Haru glanced at the two siblings, taking down silent notes. He furrowed his eyebrows at the thought of the redhead in front of him. He didn't know what had exactly happened resulting into them finding out about the curse. But he wasn't impressed. There was nothing relatively special about this girl, save for her motherly attitude. Haru raised an eyebrow at her as her green eyes met his gray ones, sighing out of boredom when she offered him a polite smile.

"So, Haru-san…" Ruo said in an effort to break the silence, shifting his weight to his hands pressed against the floor. "What year are you in?" Haru allowed himself a couple of seconds to take down mental notes on the older Yoshikuni, eventually driving to the same conclusion; neither of them would be able to help the Sohma family.

"Same as Momiji, Yoshikuni-san." he replied, his cold tone matching his gaze perfectly. Unbeknownst by them, Haru was inching closer and closer to a transformation to Black Haru, the darker personality already affecting his thoughts.

"Oh…is that so? And please, call me Ruo." the older man replied smiling sheepishly at Haru. Momiji felt Haru stiffen up beside him, cocking his head to the side and poking his cousin softly in the ribs. Haru turned to face Momiji, the sight of the innocent look on his face calming him down instantly. He gave the Momiji a small smile as 'thanks', chuckling when the blond pulled out another lollipop and offering it to him.

When Akane noticed the taller boy relax slightly, she decided to try and strike up a conversation. "Is that your natural hair color?" she asked boldly, resting her elbows on the table and letting her eyes squint at the oddly colored boy.

"Yeah, it is." Haru replied, running a ringed hand through his growing hair, "This is my natural hair color."

"Really? It suits you, Haru-san." Akane wasn't surprised, she remembered the odd coloring of the other family members as well. A look of realization came to her eyes as she smack her fisted hand on her open palm, a light smile playing on her lips. "You must be the cow then!"

"Yup! Haru's the cow!" Momiji shouted, running over to where Akane was seated. "You're so smart Ka-chan!"

Akane smiled proudly at herself then pinched Momiji's cheek, feeling the roundness of the lollipop inside his mouth. "It's kind of a dead give away, Momiji." she pointed out with a chuckle.

The four chorused with laughter as the little bunny pouted at the young woman. As the laughter slowly died down, Akane took the chance to study the room, listing an eyebrow when she noticed a lone picture frame in a bookshelf near the shoji doors. She looked the room a bit more then concluded that it was the only personal item in the area.

"Momiji-chan, who is this?" Akane asked, standing up from place on the floor and approaching the bookshelf. She peered down at the picture, studying the woman in it thoroughly feature by feature. "Hatori's girlfriend?"

The silence reentered the room as the bunny's expression saddened slightly. Akane then lifted the picture off of the bookshelf to take a closer look at it, looking back at the two Sohmas briefly while waiting for an answer.

"Kane-chan…" Ruo said softly, silently asking the curious girl to drop the question. He stopped though when he heard Momiji get up from his seat and approach Akane near the bookshelf himself.

"Yeah, her name is Kana." Momiji said as he neared the picture in the young woman's hand, looking down at it as he had several times. "She's a Sohma too."

"Oh, that's amazing." Akane replied as she placed the picture back down on the shelf. She laughed slightly as she looked at the confused gazes directed at her, missing the tension from the topic. "It's amazing that someone as pretty as her can stand that grumpy geezer. What happened to her?"

Haru sighed at the joke Kane directed at the doctor and then stood up from the couch. "It isn't a very nice thing to talk about…you might not want to know about it."

"Nasty break up?" Ruo questioned the monotonous cow.

"Eh…something like that." Momiji said as he smiled and pulled Akane back to the couch. "So, tell us more about yourselves!"

"Well…umm, my name is Ruo Yoshikuni, I'm twenty-eight and is being taken care of by my darling sister over here." the older Yoshikuni stated, smiling sheepishly at the two Sohma cousins.

"My name is Akane Yoshikuni, twenty-five and is currently being free loaded by my brother." Akane said, glaring at said older brother.

"Well, you know you love having me around, Kane-chan!" Ruo said as pulled her in a hug and dug his knuckles into Akane's skull. Akane huffed as she lost her balance, now half lying across her brother's outstretched legs. She gripped his hands tightly as the tangled themselves in her now matted hair.

"Oww! Nii-chan! Stop it!" Akane complained as her scalp began throbbing from the fist of the laughing madman. This was how Hatori found them. The two Sohma boys laughing at the Yoshikuni siblings, one of the said siblings digging his knuckles into the other's red hair.

"I won't bother asking," he muttered to himself, though his voice loud enough to gain the group's attention. They all sat in attention now, though Ruo, Haru and Momiji exploding into another laughing fit at Akane's hair, now standing in crooked positions. Unfortunately, breathing wasn't an option when Akane patted down her hair only having it stick back up to its messy state, the action sending the three into more hysterics. "Akito will see you now." Hatori stated, ignoring the loud shouts of his cousins and Ruo.

"He's in a relatively good mood, consider yourselves lucky." he continued, directing the latter statement to the Yoshikuni siblings.

Ruo sobered up at this while Akane gave up trying to tame her hair, both suddenly looking hesitantly at each other before altering their gaze back at the Sohma doctor. Both felt a wave of nervousness attack them, and several questions concerning the Sohma Head started popping in and out of their minds. Some crazier—but more Akito-like—than others.

_We're supposed to be _lucky_ that he's in a good mood?_

_Is he crazy? Psychotic? Bi-polar?!?!_

_Shit…is he capable of murder?_

Panic was etched on Akane's pale face as she studied over her last thought. Considering what Hatori had said and the Sohmas reaction to Ruo's mentioning of their so called 'God', she believed that it would be safe to assume that they should be scared.

Ruo's thoughts were probably focused on practically the same thing as his sister's, Sohma Head plus Zodiac curse plus Yoshikuni siblings' knowing of said curse equals, 'Be afraid; be _very_ afraid'.

Hatori narrowed his eyes slightly as the two outsiders kept staring at him. When he suspected that they had no intention of snapping out their daze anytime soon, he sighed loudly and raised a hand to beckon them to come with him.

"He's not going to be in a good mood forever. Let's go." Hatori stated firmly, finally pulling the Yoshikuni's out of their panic filled trance. "Hurry up."

"Alright-y!" Ruo said cheerfully as an effort to push down some of the worry filling his body. He tugged on Akane's wrist and called to her loudly. "Let's go Kane-chan!"

"Okay…okay…sheesh!" she replied pulling her hand out of Ruo's tight grip. Akane rolled her eyes at her brother's obviously fake behavior, the attempt not doing anything to calm her nerves down. She looked back at the younger Sohmas and smiled brightly, "I'll see you two later, alright?"

"Okay! Bye, Ka-chan!" Momiji said jumping up from his seat and waved to the retreating form of Akane. "See ya soon!"

"Bye, Momiji-chan!" Akane replied, looking back at the bunny. "Bye Haru!"

"Goodbye Akane-san." the cow replied silently, nodding his head in respect. "Good luck with the meeting."

"Thanks!"

And with that, Ruo and Akane gave each other an encouraging smile before walking behind the doctor silently, solemnly.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Akito-sama?" a timid voice was heard from the thin shoji doors leading to the Sohma Head's room. Akito's dark eyes drifted slowly from the bird resting idly on his hand to the door behind him.

"What is it?" he muttered softly through gritted teeth, annoyed that the serene setting was interrupted once again. He looked back at the garden located outside of the room, his hand nudging softly and watched enviously as the bird now flew freely in the sky. His eyes narrowed as his room's door opened, keeping his gaze on the scenery in front of him.

"Hatori-san and the two outsiders have arrived, Akito-sama." the elderly maid replied, bowing in respect to the young Head. Akito's mouth curled upward slightly, his body reeling with malicious excitement.

"Is that so?" Akito smirked and rose from the ground. He stared coldly at the old woman, throwing her a dismissive wave. "Send them in."

"Very well, Akito-sama." She bowed once again, and retreated silently back to the shoji doors to give the cold consent of Akito to the doctor and the Yoshikunis. Akito lied back down, the other set of shoji doors leading to his private garden pushed back widely, exposing the greenery to Akito's hard gaze.

_This…should be interesting._ He thought with a smirk, a throaty chuckle finding its way to escape his lips.

The sound of the shoji doors sliding opened interrupted Akito's train of though but instead of the usual annoyance, his feeling was now replaced with something much, much darker.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Akane wrung her hands together, the tension in her body eating her slowly inside out. Finally, the elderly woman Hatori had talked to reemerged from the dark room and bowed politely to the three.

"He will see you now." she said softly, keeping her frail voice low. Hatori nodded and dismissed her before putting a comforting hand on the redhead's back and the other on Ruo's shoulder.

"Let's go," Hatori said, slowly directing them to the room of the young Sohma Head. Akane could feel her heart beat hardly in her chest, the constricting tug enveloping her body. The sound of the doors being drawn open seemed to match each thump of her heart, her breath suddenly coming in short heaves. She inhaled deeply as the dark room was revealed, the only light being from the other set of doors that were too drawn open.

"Akito-san," the doctor greeted the dark figure facing the open view. "It would be best if you came inside now, you know how cold it gets in autumn." A cruel laugh filled the three's ears as the figure's head turned to look at them.

"Hatori…you always worry too much," a sickly yet firm voice said shocking the two Yoshikuni siblings.

_He sounds so young…_ Akane thought as she craned her neck over Hatori's shoulder to try and get a better look of the Sohma Head. Her body stiffened as light fell over the God's face, cold dark eyes suddenly meeting shocked green ones.

_H-he's so young! _Akane looked down quickly, a cold chill trembling through her when she felt his hard eyes boring holes into her body. He looked just on the verge of twenty, a mop of violet tresses on his head, sickly pale skin and cold, hard black eyes.

"Are you two…the outsiders?" his voice asked, every word dripping with malice and disgust. A hushed silence fell, Ruo and Akane shivering at how cold the young boy's voice had been. It had been like a sharp knife, cutting right though all of their feelings of ease.

"Yes, Akito-san." Hatori replied, his eyes never leaving Akito's. "This is Akane Yoshikuni and her brother, Ruo."

"I see, you may leave now, Hatori. I'll call for you when we're done here," the head replied giving the doctor a sharp glance. The doctor tensed slightly, but nevertheless, bowed respectfully. Akane stuttered in shock, almost wishing that she could just latch on Hatori's retreating form and beg him to stay.

"And how exactly did you come to know of the curse?" Akito asked once the doctor had left, rising from his area near the garden door and entered the dark room.

"I-I was about to be hit by a car, Hatori-san pushed me out of the way in time, but transformed in the process." Akane replied, her eyes fluttering to her hands folded on her lap, clutching at the long skirt she had been wearing.

_He should have just let you die, you stupid girl. _Akito though at he narrowed his eyes at the shaking girl.

"What makes you think I should let you keep your memories? You have no relation to us, and before that eventful day, you had not known any of the Sohmas." Akito said smugly as he leaned back on the wall. "There's nothing special about you two…what's there to trust?"

"Akito-sama, we both understand that this places you in a difficult position, but my sister and I are in debt to Hatori-san…" Ruo said quietly, his eyes never leaving the narrowed ones of the Sohma Head.

Akane eyes widened as she gave her brother a surprised look. She realized that there were those rare moments that Ruo could and would be serious. This was apparently one of them.

"You are…in debt to _my_ Hatori?" he questioned the duo, staring disgustedly at the tense Akane and the blank Ruo. "Have you two no pride?" he questioned cynically as Akane clutched onto her skirt tighter, her knuckles turning a deathly white. "Fine, you two seem the type of people to follow any authoritative figure you see…" he trailed off, observing the slouched figure of Akane. "Just like a lost puppy…" Akito laughed a cold and rigid laugh, sending off terrifying waves to the Yoshikuni siblings.

"Keep your memories." he finished, giving a lazy wave of his hand to the slowly relaxing Akane.

"Thank you, Akito-sama!" Ruo started his shower of gratitude but stopped when Akito shot him a glance.

"But, you will have to stay at the Main House for one week, to see I can really trust your or not." The news of having to stay inside the premises did not falter Akane's happiness one bit. She smiled gratefully at the smirking Sohma Head.

"Thank you, Akito-sama." she said silently, bowing deeply in gratitude.

"Get out, before I change my mind. And call Hatori on your way out, I'm not feeling well," Akito replied, his hand waving a sloppy 'shoo' movement.

"Yes, Akito-sama."

The Yoshikuni siblings exited the room, and called for Hatori, who was waiting on the bench located near the room.

"We can keep our memories, Hatori-san!" Akane said happily as she ran over to the blank-faced doctor. "But we have to stay here for a week." she continued, frowning in confusion at Akito's instructions. She shook off her curiosity and smiled at the shocked Hatori

"And Akito is calling for you…he says he isn't feeling well." Ruo continued, smiling at the mood change of the cheerful and smiling Akane.

"I see. Very well then, I'll meet with you later to discuss your living arrangements." Hatori replied, standing up from the bench. "Go and stay in my house for now, tell Momiji and Haru of the news. Do you remember the way?"

"Yeah, we do. Don't worry!" Akane replied as she grabbed Ruo's wrist and ran down the pavement. "See you later, Hatori!"

The doctor nodded politely, and slowly made his way to Akito's room, his eyes narrowing in confusion.

_What are you up to…?_

_**End Chapter 3**_

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

**A/N**: There it is! The 3rd chapter! I'm so happy! One more thing, I reposted it because I just noticed now there were so many grammatical errors, XD Heehee, so…the chapters will probably shorten, but don't worry, the quality is still there! Just kidding, haha! Review, review, review!


	4. Telling the Story

**A/N: **Finally, I found time to start on the fourth chapter…so sorry! I've been experiencing some problems and well…yeah…:) anyway!

**RE-CONSTRUCTED & RE-POSTED ON: 04/29/30**

**Thanks To:**

**Twinny- **I really love you, y'know! Heehee! I'm sending you that letter ASAP!

**disneytiger**- Thanks so much for reviewing, :D I envy your invisible beard! Haha!

**Euphoric-Dysfunction**- Do you really think so? Haha, thanks! I appreciate that…hmm, I hope you stick with me throughout the story! And don't worry, I've decided to keep the chapters long! :D anything the reader wants!

**Bringer of the Apocalypse**- Hee! Thanks so much! It means a lot to me that you do! :D –huggle-

Enjoy!

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

**Chapter 4: Telling the Story **

"Momiji-chan!" Akane Yoshikuni ran into Hatori Sohma's large house, shocking both the small bunny and the cow sitting silently in front of the TV. Slowly, the two's shocked expressions turned into happy ones.

"Ka-chan!" Momiji jumped up from the couch and landed in front of Akane. "He let you keep your memories, didn't he?" Momiji exclaimed, claiming the grinning woman's hands in his own. "Didn't he? Didn't he?" he asked as he brought Akane with him when he jumped up and down ecstatically.

"That's right!" Ruo said, smiling at the energetic blonde. Laughing as Akane became more and more disoriented with each jump. "We'll be living here for a week though." he added as an after thought, still confused about what the Sohma Head had demanded out of them.

"Really?" Haru asked his expression just as clueless as the older Yoshikuni, "That's unexpected…" he trailed off looking thoughtfully for a second. Haru's eyes turned cloudy for a minute, not liking the suspicion of Akito scheming something. And when Akito schemed, nothing good _ever_ comes from it.

"He said something about 'seeing if he'll be able to trust us', or something like that." Akane replied, not thinking much about the man's possibly dark intentions and smiled at the two Sohma boys.

"That's great, Ka-chan!" Momiji shouted throwing his hands up in every direction. "Ka-chan is staying! Ka-chan is staying! Ka-chan is stay-" The chanting bunny was interrupted with the chilling voice of Hatori.

"Momiji, behave." he said as he made his way towards the cheerful group. Akane and Ruo turned to look at him as he entered the room, Akane's previously uncontrollable smile dropping quite a bit at the angry look on Hatori's face. "Ruo-san, Akane-san, we should be discussing your living arrangements right about now." he stressed out, each word dripping with anger.

"Oh, that's right," Ruo said, he being the first one to recover from the man's cold tone. He slowly approached the silently seething Hatori, Akane in tow. "See you two later!" he looked over his shoulder and waved stiffly at the younger cousins behind them, just as confused as they were while standing with their heads tilted to the side.

"Bye guys!" Akane shouted over her shoulder and waved, giving a sorry smile to the teenagers' blank looks. Haru and Momiji looked at each other, shrugging before returning Ruo and Akane's wave.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The ticking of the clock seemed to grow louder and louder as each second passed. Hatori sat quietly on his chair, studying the two outsiders sitting in front across from him carefully. Hatori's gaze shifted from one Yoshikuni to another, sighing when no hypothesis came to his mind as to why Akito would require them to stay inside the Sohma Main House, for an entire week no less.

"A week?" he asked for what seemed to be the millionth time. "Are you sure absolutely positive he said that you would stay? For a _week_?" Ruo—once again for what seemed to be the millionth time—nodded frantically.

"Absolutely sure," Ruo said flatly for the two of them, "One week, seven days, one hundred sixty-eight hours, ten thousand ei-" Ruo's back-sass was interrupted when the now infuriated Hatori slammed his hands on his table, causing the papers previously sitting innocently on its surface flying at the sudden movement. Ruo jumped in his seat in shock, staring at the doctor with wide eyes.

"Do not test my patience, Ruo. You have no idea what Akito is capable of," Ruo nodded stiffly as the doctor's shoulders slumped forward, his deep breathes loud and uneven. Slowly, he regained his composure and dropped back in his seat, resting his head in his open palms and let out a tired sigh.

"Alright, there are no available buildings as of now. Since you seem to have gotten to know Momiji the most, you will be living with him and me," Hatori iterated, looking up at the two of them. "Is that good enough?"

"Yes, thank you, Hatori-san," Akane nodded politely to the doctor. After an awkward silence, Akane grunted softly as if remembering something and raised a finger in the air, "One question though."

"Yes?"

"What about our things? And our—well, my job?" she questioned him, giving a quick, but sharp glance at Ruo. Hatori nodded idly, expecting the question earlier and asked Akito about it.

"I've already explained that to Akito, you may get your things today and you can still attend to your regular schedule of office hours." Hatori said, rising from the chair. "Though, please you two, avoid wandering around the Sohma grounds without me, Haru or Momiji."

Akane's hair bristled lightly at the thought of confinement, "So we're just being kept prisoners here?" Hatori let his visible eye's gaze drift to hers and raised a dark eyebrow plainly as though the question was as clear as daylight.

"Basically."

Akane seethed at the dragon but remained calm in her seat, angry profanities screaming in her find just begging to be released from her tightly shut lips.

"What time can we leave?" Ruo quickly changed the subject, already sensing the dark vibes radiating of his sister. He too stood from the chair and shoved his hands down his jeans' pockets, nudging the redhead beside him signaling her to get up from her seat as well.

"Whenever you are ready," Hatori replied, walking past them and reached a hand out to open the door. Akane turned to look at him, crossing her arms defiantly.

"We were actually going to visit someone," Akane sated confidently, lifting her chin as she glanced at the doctor in what she hoped to be an arrogant look. "We won't be back for a while."

"I don't think Akito will mind." Hatori shrugged while sliding the shoji doors open. He watched unsurprisingly as both Momiji and Haru tumbled into the room and collided with the hard floor. Akane winced as she heard them land with a blunt thump. "Why am I not surprised?" Hatori questioned himself silently as he shook his head, looking at the two boys piled on the floor.

"Ka-chan, who are you going to visit?" Momiji asked, unfazed by the scolding of the doctor while sitting up abruptly from the floor.

"Oh, umm, our mother…" Akane answered while staring wide-eyed at the still energetic bunny. She tilted her head to study Momiji as she gave the small boy a look of concern, "Are you okay, Momiji?"

"Don't worry about it!" Momiji exclaimed, but nevertheless, approached Akane when she made a gestured for him to come closer. "Does she stay with you in your apartment?"

"Well, she is with me…but, technically, she lives in a memorial park," Akane explained silently, pushing Momiji to a chair and tossing the blond's hair around to check for any bumps on the rabbit's head. "Good, no bumps." she concluded with a smile and patted the happy boy softly on the head.

"You know what Ka-chan, you're just like Tohru-chan!" Momiji commented pointedly, his legs swinging freely in the air above the ground.

"Tohru?" Akane repeated, the name seeming vaguely familiar. She racked her mind a few seconds before looking back at the bunny, "Wasn't she the girl you were with, in the restaurant?" she asked while plopping down to the seat beside him.

"Yup! She's my bestest friend! She lost her mother in a car crash just recently, but she's still so happy! Like you, Ka-chan!" he stated happily, bouncing lightly in his seat.

"I see, she sounds like a wonderful person." Akane replied, smiling at the young boy. She then directed her attention to Haru, who was currently rubbing his head with the same blank expression on his face. "Any bumps Haru?"

"Just a small one, it's no big deal." he said, rubbing his gloved hand over the bump on his head. He didn't convince her though when he winced as his hand connected with his head.

"Really?" she asked, and eyebrow rising skeptically, "Let me see." Akane approached the frowning teen, and placed her hand over the area his hand previously covered. He recoiled slightly as her hand touched the bump.

"Sorry, did that hurt?" she asked with an apologetic but 'I told you so' smile as she drew back her hand. "I'll go get some ice." Standing from the chair, she ignored the denying complaints of the black and white haired teen and left the room in search of the kitchen.

A few moments later, Akane re-appeared now with a bag of ice clutched loosely in her hand. Giving Haru a hard stare, she held out a bag of ice, the silent demand reverberating off her face.

"It doesn't hurt Akane-san, I don't need ice."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Haru sat on the couch, the TV in front of him almost melting from his intense gaze. Droplets of water trailed down his hand, the bag of ice placed on the top of his head. Momiji pointed at his cousin, his loud laughter echoing in the room. Akane sat beside Haru, her lips sipping idly on her newly served tea. A small smirk crept up her lips, her green eyes closed in happy contentment.

"She always had a way with kids." Ruo commented while chuckling at the teenager sulking on the couch. Hatori stood beside him with a blank look as he observed the scene before him.

"Well, Haru isn't what you call a kid." Hatori replied, the corners of his lips twitching upward in amusement. Akane soon approached them with a big smile, resting her hands on her hips while giving her brother a clueless look.

"What are you guys laughing at?" When the only reply she got was a snort and a giggle—from Ruo of course, Akane shook her head and took back her previous statement. "Never mind, I don't want to know. Anyway, shouldn't we get going?" Akane asked as she pointed out the time to the two of them.

"I suppose," Ruo replied and prepared to leave. He gave his sister a sad smile, already aware of the redhead's somber thoughts.

"Mom first?" she asked cheerfully in an attempt to ward of her sadness, smiling as she gave her brother a quick side glance. Ruo sighed, not believing for a second Akane's small façade but still played along.

"Let's go, kiddo." he persisted, punching her lightly in the arm.

"Ka-chan! Can we go too?" Momiji shouted, bounding his way towards the Yoshikuni siblings. "I wanna meet your mom!"

"Sure, I think she'd like that." Akane smiled sweetly, ruffling Momiji's hair a little.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The sound of clapping hands echoed through the cemetery, and the group of five started the regular prayer routine. When Akane had finished, she started to place the offerings of incense sticks and flowers on top of the smooth marble stone. She smiled serenely and opened her mouth to speak soft words to her mother.

"We're back, mom." the peaceful ambience was intermittent when Momiji jumped from his place behind Akane to sit boldly directly in front of the grave.

"Hi there, Kaa-san of Ka-chan!" Momiji said happily as he waved at the engraved marble in front of him.

"Momiji…" Hatori reprimanded the bunny slightly as he continued bouncing around the gravestone. "You promised you would behave." Akane and Ruo laughed silently while Haru just shook his head in disdain. Hatori patted Momiji on the head as the bunny slowly calmed down.

"You're no fun Ha'ri…" Momiji sniffed out as he pulled out a pink lollipop from his coat pocket. "I'm sure Kaa-san won't mind. Right, Ka-chan?"

Akane giggled before replying, "Yeah, it's alright Hatori-san." she replied silently, smiling at Momiji and his guardian.

"That's right!" Ruo said nodding for emphasis, "We were always like that with mom, it's nothing new." he said ruffling Momiji's hair.

"Be as energetic as you want."

Hatori sighed loudly, making a puff of cool air escape his lips. "Please don't encourage him Yoshikuni-san."

"Lighten up, Hatori!" Ruo exclaimed, clapping Hatori's back heartily. "Are you always this uptight?" he asked the nonchalant doctor while placing his arm around his shoulders.

"I am not…uptight." Hatori said shrugging off Ruo's arm. "I'm just mature, which is something I cannot say about some people present now." he said giving a side glance to Akane, who was dancing around the marble gravestone, hand in hand with Momiji, a lollipop hanging lopsidedly from her mouth.

The two stopped their dancing and looked at Hatori, Ruo and Haru guiltily.

"What?" Akane asked, blinking confusedly at the staring trio. "Just…dancing." she smiled sheepishly giving a little shake with her hips.

"See?" Hatori looked back at Ruo, shaking his head at the antics of the younger Yoshikuni and his own ward. The group burst into laughter at the annoyed expression on the young Yoshikuni's face. She huffed loudly as she blew a stray lock of hair from her face.

"You guys are mean."

"That's why you love us!" Ruo said pinching his sister's rose tinted cheeks. She slapped his hand away and rubbed her now pink cheeks. Haru smiled and joined in the conversation.

"It's true isn't it?" Haru asked teasingly, laughing slightly at the exasperated look on Akane's face.

"Whatever." she replied sticking her tongue out at the four boys looking in her direction. The group stayed a while longer, Ruo supplying a butt-load of stories their family experienced with their mother. The Sohmas took pleasure in listening attentively, Momiji interrupting once in a while to laugh at the other Yohsikuni's reaction.

When the late afternoon's wind picked up, the group—meaning Hatori—decided to start walking back to the apartment complex not too far from the cemetery. The first few minutes of the walk was silent with only their footsteps making soft, almost inaudible sounds. But after a while, Haru decided to ask the question that seemed to be lingering in all the Sohmas' minds.

"Akane-san, may I ask you a personal question?" Haru broke the silence. Akane, who was spacing out at the sky above them, turned to look at the teenager and nodded softly.

"Sure, I guess." she replied, smiling at the quiet boy.

"How did your mother…" he trailed off, not being able to bring himself to say _that_ word.

"Die?" Ruo finished for him, a smile reaching his lips, but not his eyes. Haru nodded a 'yes'.

"Cancer," Akane said quietly, looking back up at the multi-colored sky. "I was four, Ruo was seven."

"I'm sorry." Haru replied, looking guiltily at the ground. "I shouldn't have brought it up."

Ruo shook his head lightly and smiled at the teenager, "No worries, she told us not to be mourn over it for too long."

"We still are happy-go-lucky, despite what happened." Akane said, patting Haru on the head. "It's nothing to worry about, Haru."

The teenager looked up, at the smiling woman's face and let out a small smile of his own. The group then silently made their way to the apartment, without any further delay or conversation.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Dusk began to settle when the group had finally arrived the Yoshikuni's place. The padded down the hallway and looked curiously from left to right, trying to guess which one belonged to them.

"Hmm…is it this one Ka-chan?" Momiji asked pointing to a random door on his left. Said girl shook her head 'no' and laughed a little.

"You're getting close though, Momiji-chan!" she said as they went further down the carpeted hall, their footsteps making soft thumps.

"What about this one?" Haru asked with his monotone voice as he pointed to another door. The gold numbers showing '_801' _glinted as they approached the door.

"Nope, that's not it either!" Ruo exclaimed as he smiled cheekily at the annoyed boy. "You're getting _really_ warm though!" Ruo continued as he laughed mockingly at the bipolar teenager.

Hatori let a small sigh escape his lips and shook his head at the three boys. _Some people never grow up, _he thought as he walked behind Akane, waiting for her to stop, signaling their arrival at the door of the Yoshikuni's room. Akane looked back and notices Hatori let out another sigh. She stopped mid-step, and looked curiously at the dark haired doctor.

"Eh? Is everything okay, Hatori-san?" she asked, her head tilting a little to the side. Hatori looked up at the curious girl, shaking his head as his eyes met hers.

"Nothing, Yoshikuni-san."

Akane then smiled walked to where Hatori was. She giggled slightly when he in turn cocked his head to the side in confusion.

"It's because of their antics, right?" she laughed out. Hatori let a frown cross his lips and looked at Haru and Momiji, who were pointing out all doors in sight and turned to Ruo, asking if it was the right one.

Akane felt a sweat drop slide down the side of her head as Momiji pointed at a Custodian's Closet, "This one?"

"Well, I must admit, they do have their…ways. But," she paused as she smiled slightly, "I like Ruo just the way he is now, whether you believe it or not. You should have seen him before our mom died. He was like the walking dead."

She laughed at the confused expression on the doctor's face. "I know right, _normally, _it would be the other way around." The young girl continued when she saw Hatori nod. "But you might have guessed by now, we're not exactly normal…and well, I guess you guys aren't so normal too."

Akane let out a loud laugh as a smile appeared on the man's face.

"No, I think mom's death showed Ruo how much one should appreciate the fact they're alive." she looked at her boots as they thumped against the carpeted floor, "Even if their lifestyle isn't that great." She finished her monologue as she snapped her gaze back to meet his own, a wide teasing smile on her lips.

_Ouch._

That one had hit Hatori hard. But as he thought about it, he saw the sense in the words the young girl had spoken. The dark haired man's gaze softened and nodded his head in agreement.

"I know! It's this one!"

The two broke the staring contest as Momiji's voice broke the moment. Ruo made a loud buzzing noise and made an 'X' with his two pointer fingers, causing the blonde to pout and Haru's eyebrows to furrow in frustration.

"It's this one!" Ruo shouted pointing to the door beside the one Momiji had just guessed. Akane ran up to her brother and sweat dropped as she saw the number of the room he was pointing at.

_809…_

"Eh…Nii-chan, it's the one across from it." Akane replied, pointing warily at the wooden door across the one Ruo was in front of. "It's 810, not 809."

Ruo sweat dropped and stood up straight, fixing his shirt in the process. "Yeah, I knew that…just kidding, is all." he said with a small cough.

The group shared a laugh while Ruo pouted angrily, but eventually joined in the laughter as well.

Akane then brought out the key from her pocket, the bell keychain jingling as she did so.

"Oh! That's a cute keychain, Ka-chan!" Momiji exclaimed as he poked the hanging bell, giggling as it made a light tinkling sound. Akane looked down to the small boy and smiled at him.

"Thank you Momiji-chan. My mother gave it to me." She said as she twisted the key in the hole, giving a satisfied smiled as she heard a 'click'. "Well, come in!"

As Akane flicked the light switch into the on position, she made way in order for the Sohma's and Ruo to enter through the doorway. The two teenagers stared in surprise as the whole room came into view.

Akane and Ruo snickered at their shocked expressions before asking, "What is it?"

Haru was the first to snap out of it, and replied, "It's nothing. I didn't expect you to live somewhere so…" he trailed of trying to find the word to describe their apartment.

"Spacious?" Hatori supplied for the younger Sohma's.

"Fancy." Haru finished, giving a Hatori a pointed look.

"Pretty!" Momiji shouted as he bounced around the room, inspecting everything that had been caught in his line of vision.

The living room itself was the room you would walk into, once you opened the apartment door. In the middle stood a cream colored couch, and a TV set in front of it. Akane smiled widely as Momiji jumped up and down the couch. A clear, glass coffee table stood in between, a ready-to-wilt flower placed inside a lone vase in the middle of the coffee table. The walls were painted a creamy color, almost identical to the couch. A tall, varnished, wooden display cabinet in one corner of the room, which was connected to a bookshelf, filled from ceiling to floor with different kinds of books.

The floor of the living room was covered by a soft, red carpet, which ended once you enter the doorway to the right of the entrance –the kitchen. The kitchen's floor was made out of white marble, shining against the reflection of the lights. In the middle stood an island working space, which served as the siblings' 'bar'. Different types of wine and brandy were placed along the curve of the counter top.

From the entrance, there were two more doors to the left, and one standing to the right of the kitchen door. The one nearest to the kitchen door was, as Hatori probably remembered, the bathroom, and the other two doors on the left were the doors which led to the rooms of Ruo and Akane. The one behind the couch was Ruo's, while the one beside it was Akane's.

Another round of laughs circulated the group as Hatori caught Momiji in the air, mid-jump, causing the small rabbit to pout. Ruo motioned for the guests to sit on the couch, while Akane went inside the kitchen to make some tea. She shook her head as she heard the TV turn on, and a loud sigh escape her brother's lips.

_Boys…will be boys._

"Kane-chan, after you make the tea let's get packing, okay?" Ruo shouted from inside the living room. Akane looked up from the boiling water and shouted back, "Okay!"

She let out a giggle escape as her thoughts dwelled upon the past day. Who would've thought, almost getting hit by a car would be the best thing happening to me. The young woman was snapped out of her thoughts, as the kettle whistled loudly. Akane then readied the cups and tea bags. She then placed the five cups onto a round platter and poured in the hot water, and soon after the tea bags.

She waited patiently for the flavor to set in, once it had, she threw away the tea bags in the waste bin and placed the kettle in the sink. Akane balanced the tray in one hand, while opening the kitchen door in the other.

"Here you go!" she said as she placed the tray on top of the glass table, careful to not make any spills. The younger Yoshikuni then made her way to the door of her room, "I'll pack ahead, okay?"

A gurgling sound was heard as Ruo slurped on his tea and replied, "Okay", at the same time. This caused Akane to roll her eyes at her brother before entering her room and started packing her things.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Later, the two siblings emerged from their respective rooms and placed their bags beside the couch.

"Well," Ruo breathed out as he wiped some beads of sweat from his brow, "That's everything we need, and maybe even more."

The younger of the two siblings, exhaled a sigh of relief and took in deep breaths, collapsing in the soft cushions of the couch. "Finally!"

"Why don't we call a cab?" Haru suggested as he sat down beside the panting woman, "I don't think you should, or could, carry all these up to the estate."

Akane perked up at the suggestion and draped her arms loosely over the usually quiet boy, "Good idea, Haru-chan!"

_Poof!_

Everyone stared incredulously at Akane, who was riding a black and white cow bareback, her thin arms draped around his meaty neck. The young girl blinked in confusion, as she slid off the side of the cow, her back on the carpeted floor, eyes staring up at the ceiling.

"Well guys," she started, as she brought her body into a sitting position. The young girl then looked at the rest of the boys, smiling cheekily with a 'thumbs up', "I know what we're having for dinner!"

_**End Chapter 4**_

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

**A/N: **Ta da! And it's finished! :D I decided to describe the apartment in full detail, since I haven't been able to do that yet in the past chapters. :D And if you noticed, Akane and Hatori had a heart to heart talk! ;) Ohh la la! Hahaha! Oh, by the way, they didn't really eat Haru, okay? –sweatdrop-

_ANYWAYS! Remember the drill people! THE DRILL! Review, review, review! My happiness is only one click away, ;) _


	5. Living the Sohma Life

**A/N:** Hey guys! The cuppycakiie is BACK and better than ever, :D The gears in my heard have turning and I can't help but write an advanced chapter! So, enjoy the story and don't forget to review and subscribe!

**Thanks To:**

**disneytiger- **Once again, you have made me envious of your invisible beard, :)) I hope you enjoy the chapter, I put in a little special mention in there, XD Let's see if you notice it….:))

**raccoonwhisper- **I'm not so sure about a lemon…err…I'm not that talented with that stuff….. but you can expect a lot of fluff! :D

**Bringer of the Apocolypse- **I'm really glad you loved it, :D I hope you'll love this one too!

**A Special Thanks To:**

**Bringer of the Apocolypse**, **cbgnguyen**, **ChiyukiLuvs2Glomp**, **Coralynn**, **disneytiger**, **Marisu-Miseru**, and **raccoonwhisper** for adding this story to your favorites!

Enjoy!

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

**Chapter 5: Living the Sohma Life**

"RUO!"

A shrill scream rang in the quiet –well, previously quiet, house. Footsteps padding through the long hallway, down the stairs and the sound of a door crashing open echoed throughout the room.

"Where is it?!" Akane screamed as she stomped her way across the room. The angry woman then clutched the thick blanket covering a cowering figure and pulled as hard as she can, sending the blanket to the wall behind her, and the coward…uhh…her brother, to the floor.

Ruo chuckled nervously as he got up from the floor, rubbing his head in the process. "Ah, Akane, my dear, sweet, lovable sister. How are you this fine morning?"

"Don't act all innocent! Where is it Ruo?!" the fuming redhead shouted back. You know what they say, "the anger in a redhead"? Ruo shrunk back as he put his hands of in defense, trying to coax his sister. Tongues of flames flashed behind Akane, and Ruo gulped, fearing for his life.

Not a pretty sight.

"Where is what, my beloved sister, the object of my affection, the apple of my eye-" Ruo was cut off when Akane clutched his shirt with clenched fists.

"Don't play dumb Ruo! I know that's going to be hard for you, but where…is…it?" she asked in a dangerously low tone, eyes hidden by the shadow of her bangs. Ruo gulped, eyes closed in fear.

"I seriously don't know what you're talking about." He stuttered out, his hands snaking its way to grip his sister's shoulder, pushing it backwards slightly in a vain attempt to free himself from her strong grip.

"Where…" Akane trailed off silently, making Ruo lean in closer out of curiosity. Suddenly, the young woman's head shot up, her icy glare stabbing Ruo in the face.

"WHERE THE HELL IS MY UNDERWEAR?!?!"

Ruo blinked in surprise at his sister, taking in what she said. "Your…underwear?"

Akane stood up straight and glared up at her brother, she twitched mentally at the height difference. _The glare makes up for it._ "Yes Ruo, my underwear. The frilly pink things I wear under my clothing."

"Your underwear is frilly and pink?" Ruo questioned, tilting his head to the side in curiosity. He soon regretted it, as Akane hissed at him, her hair reeling up, reminding Ruo of a cat having a hissy fit.

"That isn't the point, brother dear." Akane replied, crossing her thin, pale arms, over her chest. "I can't take a shower until I find my underwear." she sighed, bringing a hand up to ruffle her hair. "Where is it?" She asked as she took a few deep breaths, significantly calming down.

Ruo chuckled and patted her matted hair affectionately. "You're so adorable, Kane-chan. But I really don't know what you're talking about. I didn't take it." he said, drawing his hand back, warily waiting for her affection.

"What do you mean? You were the one who put my things in the room, weren't you?" she asked as she tried to keep her temper in check, not wanting to blow up and be convicted of first degree murder.

Ruo brought his hand up, his fingers meeting his chin. He stroked his chin and then brought it lower as if stroking a long beard ad he contemplated on what Akane had said, "Well, yeah, I did. But I could've sworn I placed the bag with your underwear in _your_ room."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Hatori got up from his bed, the wrinkled bed sheets rustling as he did so. He rubbed his eyes as an attempt to get the sleep out, and yawning as he did so. The young doctor then stretched his long arms, and winced as his joints made a _'popping' _sound. He then ruffled his hair before running his fingers through the dark locks.

As his fingers got stuck in knot, he brought his fingers in front of his face and observed the offending strand. _My hair is getting long._

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Well someone must have stolen it because it's not there." Akane said, giving her brother a pointed glare, "And who among us would go so low as to steal someone's underwear?"

Ruo feigned hurt. "You wound me, Kane-chan." he sighed dramatically before tears poured out of his sparkling green eyes. "You don't have an ounce of trust in your brother! It hurts!" he cried out, bringing a hand to his forehead and the other to clutch at his shirt.

"Nope." She replied, giving her brother a cheeky grin. "Not one bit." The redhead then directed her attention to his room, nose crinkling in disgust. Clothes scattered the probably once clean floor.

"God Ruo, we've been here for a night and already your room looks like a pig sty…" she clicked her tongue in annoyance. "We're going have to clean this up later."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." He muttered, rolling his eyes at her nagging. "But really, I placed the bag with your frilly things in your room."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The young doctor stifled another yawn with his hand. He pushed the thick blanket off his lap, and lifted his feet to hang off the bed. His bare feet recoiled as he felt the cold floor.

_Winter is coming…_

A deep sigh escaped his lips as he reminisced on Kana. Winter brought nothing but pain to Hatori. The pain of witnessing his only love move on and find happiness, when he is left behind in the dark with nothing but memories.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Akane felt her eye twitch as he mentioned her _frilly things. _

"Ruo, I told you, it's not there." She muttered, feeling her temper begin to flare again. The young woman tried to calm herself down by taking in deeper breaths than before.

_1…2…3…4…5…6…_

Akane's calming mantra was interrupted by Ruo as he thought aloud. "Maybe someone really did steal it…"

_Screw it._

"THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN TRYING TO FIND OUT, YOU IDIOT!" Akane screamed back as she felt her restraint snap, a new wave of anger flowing through her veins.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

_What's with all this shouting?_ Hatori felt a headache coming on, and let out a groan of annoyance. He stood up from the bed and dragged his body to the bathroom inside the room.

The dragon's eyes squinted as the lights flickered on. He reached the sink and opened the tap, immediately hearing the sound of running water. The doctor cupped his hands and brought it in the sink, catching the cold water flowing from the faucet. As he felt the icy water make contact with his tan skin he felt his body jolt awake.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Eh…calm down, Kane-chan." Ruo twitched, waving his hand in an attempt to calm the –once again, fuming redhead. "Are you absolutely sure it wasn't there?"

Akane scoffed at the stupid question, "You seriously think I would risk my sanity by entering your room, if it's not absolutely needed?"

The older brother felt a sweat drop roll down the side of his head, but quickly composing himself. "Good point."

"Now, are _you_ absolutely sure you put it in my room?" the young girl snapped back his question.

"Of course!"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Hatori trudged outside, closing the light and door as he left the bathroom. He dragged his feet across the floor and made his way to the door leading to the hallway. But as he neared the wooden door, he felt something soft collide with his feet, causing him to lose balance and fall.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Up the stairs, first room to the left, right?" Ruo asked, a cheery smile appearing on his face. Akane felt her whole body freeze, her eyes widening you shock. Her fist shook dangerously at her side as her breaths came in long pants.

"Hey, Ruo?" she asked, a sweet smile crossing her lips. Ruo looked at his sister, smiling as well. "What is it, apple of my eye?"

Akane's sickly sweet smile grew wider as she beckoned him to come closer, "C'mere." Ruo skipped merrily to his sister, bending down to look at her, eye-to-eye.

"About that room…" she trailed off, the smile never leaving her pink lips. Ruo felt electricity go through him as he heard her kind tone. Her _scary_ kind tone. He chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his head.

"Akane?"

"Yep?"

"That isn't your room…is it?"

"Nope."

"Oh."

…

"YOU MORON, THAT'S HATORI'S ROOM!"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Hatori winced he felt his head collide with the cold, hard floor. He looked behind him to try and see what he had tripped on and saw a dark green and brown bag.

_Huh?_

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Two pairs of footsteps thundered as the two siblings ran out of Ruo's room. The two cursed under their breaths as they made their way to the staircase of the large house. They ran up the steps, Ruo skipping two steps at a time.

"Ruo!" Akane gasped out, "Damn you and your long legs." She shouted up at him as the older Yoshikuni reached the top of the staircase.

"Not my fault you're such a shrimp. C'mon!" he said as he gripped onto her small hand, hoisting her up the rest of the way.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Hatori stared curiously at the bag before standing up and turning on the lights. He then got the bag from the floor and placed it on the bed.

_Is this Ruo's? Or Akane's? _He thought as he stared long and hard at the innocent bag. The doctor sighed and decided to bring it downstairs to ask the two Yoshikuni's.

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE, MR. SEAHORSE!"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Akane and Ruo sprinted across the hall and stopped sharply as they reached the doctor's room. As they slammed the door open, Akane froze in panic as he saw the bag in Hatori's hand.

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE MR. SEAHORSE!"

Hatori stared incredulously at the woman in front of him. Akane sighed in relief as she wiped some sweat of her brow and struggled to regain her breath. Ruo leaned on the door for support and laughed at the awkward scenario the over-reacting siblings caused.

"The bag…" Akane wheezed out, gasping for air. Hatori lifted up the bag in his hand, and held it forward slightly, a silent question asking Akane if the bag was hers. Akane nodded and exhaled loudly before taking the bag from the doctor's hands, giving him a thankful smile.

"Thanks."

Ruo looked apologetically at the stoic doctor, before sashaying his way to his younger sister. He draped his arm around her small shoulders and gave a sheepish grin, "So sorry 'bout this, Mr. Seahorse."

A dark eyebrow was raised questioningly.

"Mr. Seahorse?"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The Sohma household had finally settled in time for breakfast. Momiji finally woke up, a little after the underwear incident. Both of the Yoshikuni siblings wondered how he had slept peacefully while re-playing the past events in their mind. When the blonde boy requested for breakfast though, Akane volunteered and disappeared into the kitchen.

Fifteen minutes later, Akane had finally exited the kitchen. She shouted at Ruo to set up the table…before disappearing into the kitchen again. Another few minutes had passed and Akane finally emerged from the small room, two plates in hand. She placed it on the center of the set table before bringing in four bowls of rice.

The three adults ate in an uncomfortable silence, while Momiji chewed happily on his food, blissfully unaware of what had occurred earlier in the morning.

Ah, ignorance.

How blissful you truly are.

The air around the household was so thick it could have been cut with a butter knife. Fortunately, the German youth decided to break it.

"Ka-chan, what time do you have to go to work?" he questioned the eating redhead, putting down his chopsticks and wiping off grains of rice that had stuck to his face.

Akane looked up in surprise at the question and looked at the clock hanging on the wall behind her. She breathed out a sigh of relief as she saw it was only 7:00. She looked back at Momiji and gave him a small smile, "I have to be there 8:30."

Momiji's smile grew as he clapped his hands happily, "Oh! Our class starts at the same time!" he then leaned closer to the young woman and continued. "Let's leave together okay?"

Akane thought about it for a while before nodding her head in agreement, "If we leave by 8:00, I should make it on time." Just as she was about to ask the energetic boy a question, she was interrupted.

"Yay!" Momiji stood up from the table before running to his room, probably to get ready. Akane then looked at Hatori and voiced out her question.

"Who does he go to school with, Hatori-san?"

The doctor looked at the girl before turning back to his breakfast and paper, "He's in the same class as Haru, but they go to the same class as Yuki, Kyo and Tohru."

The young girl 'ahh'-ed before sending an icy glare to her brother, "And what are you going to do all day, you lazy bum?" Ruo clicked his tongue and tapped her nose in a condescending manner. "Is that anyway to talk to your brother? Hmm, Kane-chan?" the older Yoshikuni drew back his hand as Akane hissed at him.

"Okay, okay." He sighed before turning back to his food, "I'm going to practice later at 10:00. We have a tournament a few months from now."

Hatori blinked in surprise and asked, "Practice?"

Ruo nodded before explaining to the doctor, "Archery. You're looking at Japan's soon-to-be best archer!" he exclaimed smugly.

"You wish." Akane scoffed at her boasting brother, but smiled affectionately, knowing that what he said was true. "Anyway, I'll go get ready for work." She said as she stood up from the table. She took a few steps towards the door, but turned back sharply, facing her brother. "You do the dishes, m'kay?" Akane smiled sweetly before exiting the room and climbing up the stairs.

Ruo sighed and shook his head at the young woman's retreating form, "Devil incarnate, I tell you."

The young doctor let a small smile appear on his face.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Akane waved at the two men seeing them off at the door, and walked along the stone path with Momiji and Haru. She inhaled deeply and squealed loudly, surprising the two teenagers.

"Sorry." she chuckled stretching her coat-clad arms in front of her, "It's so cold!" Haru chuckled at the older woman's reaction to the cold before answering.

"It's almost winter, of course it's going to be cold." Akane smiled at the ox before looking back in front of her, sighing happily.

"Oh, I know, but the cold is so nice! I can't wait for it to snow!" the childlike woman continued as the exited the large Sohma Estate. "Isn't that right, Momiji?"

The young bunny nodded excitedly, clapping his hands in glee. "That's right, that's right! We could play in the snow, and after that, we can have hot chocolate with marshmallows!" Momiji exclaimed while running ahead of Haru and Akane. The two chuckled and stared amusedly at the little blonde boy in front them.

The ox suddenly looked at Akane, taking in her appearance. "Akane-san, you're going to work aren't you?" he asked as his eyebrow rose in curiosity. The woman in question looked down at her clothing, studying what she had put on earlier in the house. Akane was wearing a peach, long-sleeved turtleneck and black tights, a dark coat that stopped mid-thigh covered her small body. Black boots, gloves and a white beanie completed her look, her long red hair pulled into low pigtails.

She looked back at Haru and titled her head to the side questioningly. "Yeah, what's wrong with my clothes?"

Haru shook his head and clicked his tongue. "Nothing, it's just that your outfit looks…" he trailed off, struggling to find the right word. "…inappropriate for work." he finished.

Akane let out a loud laugh, tears escaping her eyes and her gloved hands clutching her stomach. Momiji looked back at them and ran to Akane's side. "Ka-chan? What is it? Why are you laughing?" he voiced out several questions as he looked up at the woman. As Akane calmed down, a finger wiped away a few tears before smiling at the short boy.

"It's nothing, Haru just told me something very amusing." she explained, patting the unruly mesh of hair on the rabbit's head. The aforementioned boy stared at her, wondering why she had burst into hysterics. He voiced out this question, much to the amusement of Akane.

"It's just that, my officemates always tell me the same thing: 'I should dress better' or 'Make an effort to look nice', and stuff like that. But," Akane looked at the teenagers, a cute smile appearing on her flushed face. "My clients don't really care what I look like, so it would be a wasted effort, wouldn't it?"

Momiji and Haru blinked in confusion, not getting the woman's inside joke. Momiji recovered first, "What do you do, Ka-chan?" Akane flashed a toothy grin at them before answering.

"I am a vet."

Silence ensued with the group, as Akane's profession registered through the boys' minds. A few seconds passed without anything being said, before loud rings of laughter circulated the empty streets. Akane blinked in confusion as the two laughed, not getting what had caused it. She studied the two hysterical boys, but smiled as she noticed Haru. It was the first time he had shown any actual emotion in front of her, and she was grateful for seeing his true colors.

"N-nothing, Ka-chan, it's just…" Momiji stuttered out through his giggles before continuing, "Y'know, the curse." He whispered before the two boys started laughing again, this time Akane joining them. The laughter died down, and only a few chuckles were shared. Akane exhaled, cold air escaping her pink lips.

She gave Haru and Momiji a teasing wink, "If you guys get sick, you know who to call." Before any of them could reply, a familiar voice sounded from behind them.

"Oh, it's Momiji and Haru!" Tohru exclaimed in surprise as she, Yuki and Kyo approached them from behind. She then turned to Kyo and gave him a sweet smile, "Is it okay if we walk with them?"

The orange-haired boy was taken a back and grunted out, "Don't ask me! Ask the damn rat, I don't care." Tohru looked to said rat, voicing out the same question.

"Of course, Ms. Honda." He replied in a much kinder tone, before switching to a cold one. "Just ignore the stupid cat."

"What'd you say you damn rat!?!"

"Oh, you're going deaf now too?"

"I'm going to beat you to a bloody-"

"Wait, please stop! Don't fight!"

Akane, Momiji and Haru stared blankly at the trio.

_Are they always like this? _Akane thought silently as she watched the two boys bicker and the girl try to calm them down. Haru placed a pale hand on her thin shoulder and chuckled slightly. "If you're wondering, they are always like this. It's nothing new." The group of six started making they continued on their walk to the school.

Akane sweat dropped and asked the smiling cow, "I'm not sure if that's supposed to be a good thing or a bad thing." She sighed before checking the time on her watch. The young woman almost tripped on her own two feet as she saw the hands approaching 8:15.

"Hey, Momiji-chan, are we near your school yet?" she asked the bunny who was walking beside the brown-haired girl. She racked her mind and tried to remember her name.

"Yup, it's just around that corner!" he replied, pointing to left turn they were about to pass. Akane nodded and smiled at him in thanks. She looked back to the newly arrivals and directed her next question at them.

"What about you guys? Is your school near here?" she said twisting her neck to the side in order to face the older teenagers.

"We go to the same school as Momiji and Haru, uhh…" Tohru trailed of as she tried to remember Akane's name. A look of panic appeared on Tohru's face, bowing deeply and apologizing to the older woman. Akane smiled sweetly at her sincere apology and waved it off.

"It's okay. I won't be offended if you don't remember my name." she said, laughing lightly as she did so. "We have never been properly introduced, now have we?"

Tohru sighed in relief as Akane said she wasn't offended and immediately introduced herself, "My name is Tohru Honda." She said with another deep bow. Akane giggled slight at her politeness and ruffled the younger girl's hair.

"You're so polite, that's cute."

Tohru began to hyperventilate again as she received the compliment, stuttering out a denial, "Oh no! I'm not cute at all, it's just that I was taught to be polite!" she answered quickly, another blush appearing on her face.

"Now, now," Akane giggled in amusement before turning to the four boys left out of her and Tohru's conversation, "She's cute, isn't she guys?"

Deep blushes appeared on Yuki and Kyo's faces before squeezing out incoherent replies. Momiji and Haru on the other hand…

"Yep, yep! Really cute!" Momiji said, bouncing around the blushing girl. Haru gave a curt nod in agreement as well as a small smile. They all shared a laugh before stopping in front of the large school building.

"You two," Akane said, giving a pointed look at Yuki and Kyo, "I never got your names."

"Yuki Sohma."

"Kyo."

Akane smiled at the group before giving a polite bow, "It was nice meeting you, Tohru, Yuki and Kyo." They all bowed back politely, well, except maybe Kyo, who gave a sharp nod, earning him a nudge to the ribs from Yuki.

The vet laughed again in amusement before waving at the teenagers. "Bye." A chorus of 'bye's were heard as Akane turned around and left the school gates, her dark coat swishing against her legs.

"Oh, by the way, Yuki and Kyo?" Akane said, her voice rising a little in order for the two guys to hear her. She continued walking down the street, not bothering to turn around to face them. "Take care of you princess."

And without, the young Yoshikuni disappeared around the corner.

The teenagers blinked in confusion before entering the school building as the late bell rang throughout the empty grounds.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Akane stopped mid-step as she turned around the nearest corner, smiling to herself.

"I always wanted to do one of those mysterious exits."

A light and mellow laughter escaped her lips as the young woman sprinted down the sidewalk, making her way towards the animal clinic.

_**End Chapter 5**_

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

**A/N: **Voila! I present to you, the fifth chapter! I had fun writing this one, :)) You don't see much fluff here though, you just see the bonding time between Akane and the teenagers. So yeah, that's it for now! Don't forget to subscribe and review! :D Byiie!


	6. Working the Late Shift

**A/N: **And here, I present to you: the 6th almighty chapter of Playing the Memories! Sigh, I think this one is kinda boring though…please take the time to review, DX I need motivation…well anyways, onto the thankiies! Note: Please look at my profile for the pictures of Ruo and Akane I promised :D Review please!

**Thanks to:**

**-my-forgotten-rose-- **Thanks so much for the review! XD Hee, I had fun writing that chapter, I'm glad you like it too!

**Cunnawabum- **It's good you enjoyed this chapter too! Yep, Mr. Seahorse! There's nothing better than the classic 'slow-walk-to-the-distance-disappearing-around-the-corner' exit!

**Kee-Chayne- **Yes, underwear! I'm gonna pretend I don't know you and just say, thanks! :P

**A Special Thanks To:**

**-my-forgotten-rose-**, **Shiroi Yuki Aoi Sora**,** Maria-Hunter, Cami-Of-The-Sky-Vilage**,** SmartOotori**,** Remiav and QueenThayet12990 **for adding this story to Story Alerts! Hopefully you can drop a review on your way out, :D

Enjoy!

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

**Chapter 6: Working the Late Shift**

Akane patted the soft nest of fur as the small puppy whimpered softly. She released the contents of the syringe, and smiled as she pulled the sharp needle out. The now happy, panting puppy was hoisted into the woman's arms while she exited the examination room. She shifted her face slightly to the side as the dog's furry tail brushed against her pale face.

The young vet looked around the reception area, trying to look for the young owner of the newly vaccinated pup. "Miyu-chan? Ton-ton is done with his shots!" she called out, still trying to locate the little girl amongst the crowded room. Akane giggled as she noticed the short, brown-haired girl surrounded by a sea of people, looking very lost. "Miyu-chan! Over here!"

The little girl's head turned to look at where Akane was standing and ran over to them. She skidded to a stop as she neared her dog and doctor, and flashed a sincere smile of gratitude, "Akane-san, Ton-ton is okay now right?" she asked while collecting the happy puppy in Akane's arms.

"Yes, he was very behaved while getting his shot," Akane replied, giving the dog's head a soft pat, "Very obedient, unlike his owner." she teased lightly, laughing as the younger girl pouted and stuck out her tongue. "Where are your parents? I just need to inform them of what to do next year."

"They're sitting somewhere over there I think, come on." Miyu walked slightly ahead of Akane, making her way to a corner with several chairs pressed back against the white wall. She gave a light smile to the couple sitting down and chuckled when Miyu skipped happily to them, puppy in arms and launched herself into her father's arms.

"Saitou-san, it's very nice to see you again." she greeted the father formally, giving a polite bow and smile. She then turned to the mother and greeted her, as well as giving another curt bow. The other woman laughed lightly, waving off the polite greeting.

"Now, now, Yoshikuni-san, you've been our vet for years! No need to be so formal, please just call me Sayuri!" she exclaimed giving Akane a light pat on the back, "You make me feel older than usual!" she sighed jokingly before thrusting a thumb in her husband's direction, "The old man, Shinichi, on the other hand is really as old as you make him seem."

Shinichi whined in protest as he held his daughter tight in his muscled arms, "You're so mean to me sometimes, honey." They all shared a laugh as he frowned in annoyance at his wife's teasing, but eventually joined in as well. "But she is right, Yoshikuni-san. You've been taking care of Ton-ton ever since we got him, you don't need to be so formal, call me Shinichi."

Akane laughed and nodded before replying, "As long as you call me Akane." The couple, the daughter, and maybe even Ton-ton nodded in agreement.

"Deal."

The family of four approached the reception's desk as Akane discussed with them the details of their next visit. As the young woman reached the marble counter, she paused for a moment to look at the receptionist.

"Could you please give me the chart of the Saitou's pet?" she asked the older woman kindly. The receptionist grunted rudely and disappeared beneath the table. A few seconds passed as she finally emerged from the counter top, a wooden chart with several papers attached to it, in hand. Akane took it from her and gave a soft, 'thanks'. Again, all she received was a grunt before the woman turned back to her previous work.

Akane stared incredulously at the grumpy woman. _What is up with her…_she thought timidly before sighing and turning back to the family. They gave her an apologetic look, which Akane briefly laughed at. "Sorry about that." She then browsed through the different papers clipped to the hard, wooden chart before smiling in satisfaction.

"Next year should be the last shot Ton-ton needs." she stated as she looked at the small puppy in Mayu's arms, "After that, the next time he would need a vaccination is…" Akane trailed off, looking back to the chart in her hands, "3 years from next year." She concluded.

The parents stared at Akane in confusion. "I thought that they're supposed to get one every year?" Shinichi voiced the question. Akane smiled before beckoning Mayu to give her the small puppy.

"Contrary to popular belief, annual vaccinations aren't needed.*" she said, holding the puppy up to face his owners, "Especially if you start bringing your puppy to the vet for vaccinations at a young age." she held the puppy close to her clothed chest and looked back at the chart, "Ton-ton got his first shot at two months."

"Which means?" This time, it was Mayu who asked the innocent question as she looked up at Akane with starry eyes.

"This means, Ton-ton is going to be one of the healthiest puppies I have treated." Akane told the young girl with a cheerful, handing her back the small puppy carefully. The two parents sighed in relief as their daughter cried out with glee.

"You really are kind Akane-san." Sayuri gushed at the vet, taking her hands in hers. "We owe you so much!" Akane brushed off the compliment with a shy smile and light blush.

"No, no, I'm just doing my job." she stated, laughing awkwardly with a hand behind her pigtailed hair. "I'm not that kind."

Shinichi shook his head and gave the blushing woman a kind smile, "Any other vet wouldn't have told us that. They would have probably suggested us to bring Ton-ton back every year for his vaccinations."

Akane felt her blush deepen as she stuttered out a response, "Oh well…umm…you see…" she racked her overloading brain before sighing loudly and giving a lopsided smile, "Thanks." The group chorused with happy laughter before Akane excused herself.

"Well, if you will excuse me, I think I have an appointment right about now," she told the family, giving another polite bow to the parents and giving Mayu a wave. She crouched down in front of the little girl, just enough to make the two face each other. "I'll see you next year Mayu," she said giving her a light pat on the head. As if irritated at being forgotten, the puppy in her arms gave a shrill bark, "I'll see you too, Ton-ton." She giggled before standing up again.

"Have a nice day!"

Akane leaned back against the cold wall as the family left the clinic, the wind chimes sounding off a relaxing ring. She rolled her neck from side to side and placed a hand behind its crook, attempting to rub away the ache. Footsteps approached the redhead from the side and laughter rang out beside Akane's ear.

"Only you would be so kind enough as to be _that_ honest with your clients."

Akane twisted her neck to the right in order to see who had disturbed her short-lived peace. She scoffed as she saw her receptionist's smirking face. "Only you would pretend to be a stuffy old woman in order to ease your boredom."

The receptionist –or rather, one of Akane's closest friends at work, Dai Watanabe, laughed merrily as a response. "Touché, Kane-chan." Akane shook her head in half-hearted annoyance before looking back up at the older woman. "Has my 4:30 arrived yet?"

Dai shook her head apologetically, "They called a little while ago requesting if they could move their appointment to 5:30." Akane looked like she was about to cry as she whined loudly, causing the other people in the area to look at their direction. She gave another whine, a quieter one this time, as she looked back at Dai's amused face.

"I was supposed to be off at 5:00!" Akane slumped against the wall lazily, her flat boots squeaking against the polished marble floor. She folded her arms over her tights-clad knees and buried her head in her hands.

"Do you want me to cancel it?" Dai asked softly, placing a comforting hand on Akane's shoulder. The sulking redhead gave another sigh, before rising from the floor, dusting her backside in the process.

"No, it's okay. I'll just go overtime and wait for them." she stated firmly, determination plastered over her youthful face, "I can do this!"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"I can't do this!" Akane whined in the empty office, her loud voice echoing against the enclosed walls. She looked up at the wall clock hanging over her office's door.

_5:30._

She growled in annoyance and anger and slammed her hands against the varnished wood of her desk, glaring at the wall in front of her and ignoring the dull pain searing through her palms.

_A coat-clad figure tip-toed across the reception hall and winced slightly as her heeled shoes clacked against the marble floor. The lights flickered on as an angry and dishelved looking redhead appeared in front her office door._

"_And just where do you think you're going, Dai?" she asked in a menacingly low voice. The woman in question giggled nervously, as she turned in her step to face the fuming Akane._

"_Akane, dear! Umm, well you see, something came up. Uhh…very important –yes! Extremely important! I have to...err…go...now...as in, right now. Bye!" the woman sped out of the clinic's doorway, the chimes ringing angrily as the door shut with a loud '_click'_._

"I swear when I get my hands on that pretty little neck of hers…" she held up her hands in front of her, demonstrating her hands closing around a neck and wringing it angrily. "Dead meat!" she screamed and banged her clenched fists on the abused table. She jumped in surprise as she heard the wind chimes ring softly, signaling the opening and closing of the clinic door.

_Didn't I lock the door? _She thought in confusion, nervousness crawling up her body, _Oh shit, I didn't lock it when Dai left…_she swallowed her fear and concluded that it was probably her 5:30 appointment.

"Coming!" Akane shouted from inside her office, taking in deep breathes in an attempt to calm down her paranoid nerves. She approached her closed door warily, her trembling hand reaching for the cold, metal doorknob. She twisted the knob as her hand came in contact with it, and pulled the door open. The redhead peered outside cautiously but craned her neck higher when she couldn't see who had entered the clinic. When she saw no one, she stepped outside of her office in relief.

_Probably the air from the AC unit…_

Suddenly, a gloved hand came in contact with Akane's thin shoulder, accompanied by a low, "Akane…"

"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Akane screamed her lungs out as she gripped the gloved hand of her 'attacker' and throwing him over her shoulder. The cloaked stranger landed on the chairs with a loud '_crash'_. "Don't kill me!" she screamed just as loudly, though ironically enough, she was probably the one doing the killing. She panted for air as she heard the painful moans of the cloaked figure, but jumped in fear as another hand landed on her shoulder.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" was her automatic response, gripping onto the hand preparing to throw the second figure over her petite figure.

"AKANE-SAN!" a strangely familiar voice came from the stranger as he pulled his hand from the redhead's tight grip. Akane blinked in confusion, squinting in the dark to try and make out the man's features.

"Haru?!" she exclaimed, staring in surprise at the teenager standing in front of her, "What are you do-" she stopped mid-sentence and gaped in surprise as she slowly turned around to look back at the moaning man. "R-ruo?"

"Damn Kane-chan, have you been practicing that throw I taught you?" Ruo answered, voice laced with humor and amusement, but dripping with obvious pain. The lights flickered on and Akane looked over to where the light switch was, seeing Hatori and Momiji standing beside each other, amusement showing clearly on their faces.

Akane's jaw dropped as she noticed the men in the clinic. She felt the heat rising from her neck to her face and then quickly fan out to her ears. The disoriented redhead quickly tried to compose herself while pushing her long bangs behind her pink ears.

"This is messed up."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Ouch!" Ruo hissed in pain for the tenth time as Akane dabbed a cotton on the cut he received from her throw. "Damn Akane, don't be so cruel." he chided, wincing as Akane pressed the cotton on his cheek.

"I'm sorry, Ruo." she apologized sincerely, dabbing the cotton ball more gently, "But I have to do this, it might get infected." she said, giving her brother a genuinely sad look, "You shouldn't have snuck up on me in the first place."

Ruo feigned innocence as he exclaimed, "Well, I didn't expect to be thrown across the room by my sister for placing a _hand_ on her _shoulder_!" Akane sighed as she saw the logic in Ruo's statement.

"I really am sorry about this, you guys." she bowed politely to the Sohma's while keeping her gaze on the floor of her office, "I didn't mean for this to happen. I apologize."

"Hey! What about me? I was the one thrown across the room and got a nasty cut on his cheek!" Ruo shouted as he stood up from the chair he had rested in a while ago.

"Nah," Haru spoke for the group, "I didn't get hurt, and Momiji and Hatori didn't suffer from any of this." he continued pointing at the two others in the corner of the office. "Isn't that right?" Hatori gave a stiff nod while Momiji ran up to the depressed Akane.

"Cheer up, Kane-chan! No harm was done!" the hyper bunny said circling the young vet. "None at all!"

"WHAT ABOUT ME?!" Ruo exploded but froze mid-rant as he and Haru's gazes met. Electricity passed between them and Ruo felt the silent threat being told, "Err…yeah, no harm done, Kane-chan…"

Akane looked up, smiling gently at the little blonde German boy, "Thanks." she patted the curly tufts of hair and giggled as Momiji puffed his chest in pride. She then remembered her original thought and turned to look at the silent doctor, "Hatori-san, what did you guys come here for anyway?"

The stoic man looked up at Akane before replying, "Shigure invited us for dinner but we decided to wait for you. When you didn't come home, we got worried." he paused, mulling over why he had said 'we'. He shook his head at the thought, "Are you done with your work? If you are, we should get going soon."

Akane stared silently at the doctor, re-playing in her inner mind what he had just said. _He was worried about me…_she thought, her inner self jumping giddily with joy.

_He said 'we'…that's means he cares…_Akane smirked lightly, before skipping over to Hatori, "Eh, Hatori-san? You were worried about me? Eh? Eh?" she nudged her elbow deeply in his side in a teasing manner, "That's so sweet, Hatori-_kun._" Everyone stared at Akane, believing –for a minute, she was actually serious. All thoughts left though, as the 'flirtatious' redhead burst into hysterics.

"Oh, God!" she gasped out in between laugh, "You should've seen your faces!" she laughed loudly while clutching her stomach tightly, tears gathering at the corner of her shut eyes. "I can't believe you thought I was actually serious!" she continued her laughing fit, Ruo, Haru and Momiji eventually sharing a few laughs with her.

Hatori on the other hand…

His left eyebrow was twitching ever so slightly, his visible eye glinting with annoyance. The doctor slowly inched away from the hysterical woman, finding the safest place beside her wooden desk, which was now positioned in between them. He coughed softly, all eyes suddenly turned to him.

"If you're all done, we should be on our way to Shigure's house." said Hatori, his eyes lingering on the wall clock, "It's already 6:30." he continued as he walked towards the office door. He stopped just as his hand reached for the doorknob and looked at Akane's flushed face, "I trust you're done with your work?"

"I suppose so." Akane looked at the time on the clock and sighed, "I was supposed to have an appointment at 5:30. That was actually the reason why I had to go overtime today, but it seems as though I was the one who got played." she finished her brief explanation with a bitter laugh. The group nodded in understanding. "Well, let's go!"

"Yay!" Momiji cheered, running out of the door once Hatori had opened it. "Food, food, food! Food with Kane-chan!" he chanted loudly as Haru, Ruo and Akane exited the office room as well. Once Akane locked her office door, she walked to a nearby closet next to the receptionist's desk. As she retrieved her coat and beanie, she noticed the blinking red light of the phone on the counter top.

_A message…?_ Akane stretched her hand across the cool marble and brought the phone closer to her body. _Who in the world would leave a message at this time?_

'_You have one unread voicemail.' _the sound of the automatic voice sounded in the office, making the other's look back at Akane. "Akane-san? What is it?" Haru asked the redhead, looking over her hunched shoulders, "A message?"

Akane nodded stiffly, "Yeah, but who could it be…" she trailed of as curiosity got the better of her and pressed the button below the blinking red light.

'_Dr. Yoshikuni? It's Nakamaru.' _the unfamiliar feminine voice said through the telephone. Akane briefly wondered who it was before the message continued. _'I was supposed to be your 4:30.'_

Akane narrowed her eyes as she tried to control her rising temper. Her fists were trembling at her side in a desperate attempt to ignore the temptation of smashing the innocent black machine into powdered dust.

"4:30? Isn't that the one you went overtime for?" Momiji asked innocently, looking up at the fuming woman, curiosity glistening in his bright brown eyes. Akane twitched as she tried to ignore the overpowering surge to…_kill _something, preferably, the woman speaking on the speakerphone right this very moment.

'_Well, I guess your receptionist told you that I couldn't make it and I had to move it 5:30.' _The feminine voice continued. Akane noticed the nervous tone in her voice, smirking slightly as she imagined bashing the woman's head in with her fist. _'So you're probably wondering why I'm not there right now…'_

"Oh, yeah." Akane muttered as the temptation grew tenfold at the girl's idiocy. "Nice going there, Sherlock."

'_S-see, something important c-came up…again. And I s-simply couldn't make it. Is t-tomorrow okay?' _she continued, her words suddenly becoming forced out and trippy. Everyone heard light mutters and a deeper voice in the background, _'Chiaki…come on.'_

Akane felt the heat rise to her face, and her patience snapped. "God dammit! You made me stay at a clinic alone for 2 hours so you can sleep around!?!" she gripped on the telephone and pulled it as hard as her thin arms would allow her, the socket disconnecting from the wall, "Damn you!" with a scream, Akane threw the phone at the wall in front of her. She smiled in satisfaction as it made a loud _'crack'_ against the hard wall and fell apart.

She about-faced and smiled sweetly at the shocked men behind her, "Shall we go?"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"_Those_ are the kind people you take in as client?" Haru asked the slouching redhead cynically. Hatori sat in the driver's seat while Ruo sat next to him in the passenger seat. In the back seat, Akane sat beside the right window, Momiji in the middle and Haru beside the other window. "It's quite disturbing."

Akane hissed sat the cow then replied, "My clients are their pets, not them." she scoffed lightly, blowing her bangs out of her flushed face, "I just can't believe she would risk her pet's well being just so she can have some." Akane sighed sadly and rested her forehead against the window before continuing, "Irresponsible people don't deserve to own pets."

"Ka-chan, do you have a pet?" Momiji piped up, bouncing happily in his seat. Akane shook her head and gave the bunny a sweet smile.

"No, I don't. I'm too busy with work, which generally involves taking care of pets," she said laughing at the question, "And when I come home, I already have to take care of an animal…" she 'whispered' loudly, allowing Ruo to here the insult directed at him.

"You're so mean, Kane-chan!" he cried out, jabbing his pointer finger at her direction, "When we get to Shigure's house I'm telling everyone about the…" she trailed of mysteriously before giving an evil smile, "…underwear incident."

Akane gaped in horror as she whispered back to her smirking brother "You wouldn't!"

Ruo looked smugly at her, "Try me." Akane gritted her teeth in annoyance, the oh-so-familiar temptation to kill something flowing through her veins. "Why you little," she started but was interrupted as Ruo, 'tsk'-ed, "Hey, Haru, Momiji, there's this funny story…"

"…bucket of sunshine." Akane finished sighing loudly, "I hate you sometimes, you know that?"

Ruo nodded enthusiastically, a wide grin on his face, "Yep!"

Haru stared at the two with an eyebrow raised. He opened his mouth to try and question the siblings on what the incident was, but decided against it. Momiji laughed along with Ruo at the distressed face of Akane while chanting, "Ka-chan! Ka-chan! Ka-chan!"

The redhead suddenly looked up as she felt a gaze landing on her. Green met green as she stared into the rear-view mirror, seeing the doctor's hard, calculating gaze on her. She looked at him questioningly, "Hatori-san? Are you okay?" The silent man's gaze snapped back to the road, answering in a cold tone, "I would appreciate it if you weren't so loud, I could already feel a headache coming on."

Akane was taken aback by his answer, but answered in a timid voice, "Sorry."

The ride to Shigure's house continued, no noise made, and no sound heard.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Ha'ri!" Shigure exclaimed as he opened the sliding door, a sparkling dazzle appearing in his dark eyes, "It's been so long!" he continued, launching himself to cling onto Hatori's front. Hatori stiffly stepped to the side, causing the happy dog to fall flat on the ground, "So mean, Ha'ri." Shigure moaned, his voice muffled by the floor.

As he got up, he finally noticed the others lagging behind Hatori, "Ah, Momiji, Haru! Nice to see you!" his eyes trailed over to where the Yoshikuni's awkwardly stood, feeling incredibly out of place. "Aren't you…" Shigure asked confusedly while approaching the two 'outsiders', "Hatori's girlfriend and her brother?"

Akane and Ruo stared shell-shocked at the question, not being able to give a proper answer, "G-g-g-girlfriend? Where did you get that idea?" Akane stuttered out, hastily shaking her head, "I'm not his girlfriend." Shigure gave her a sly smile, "Eh? Is that so?"

Shigure froze as a hand landed heavily on his shoulder and turned around to see a glaring Hatori, his entire body enveloped by a dark, menacing aura. "Just what do you think you're doing, you idiotic dog?"

"Just teasing, Ha'ri, nothing to get so worked up about," he chuckled out nervously, sweating like mad. "Why don't we go inside? We might catch a cold if we stay out here." he stated, pointing warily at the sliding door behind him. When no one objected, the group entered the much warmer house and Akane sighed in delight.

_So warm…_she thought happily, while shrugging off her coat and pulling her the beanie from her head. She patted her hair lightly, trying to flatten the red locks sticking out of the pigtails. She looked up as she heard the familiar kind and feminine voice of Tohru. "Shigure, who was at the door?"

Tohru paused as she saw the redhead and brother, and then bowed politely, "Yoshikuni-san! It's nice to see you again!" Akane stared at the girl in surprise, the fact that Tohru residing there still unknown by her. She then remembered her manners and bowed back, "Honda-san, are you doing good?"

The young teenager nodded back happily, "Yes, Shigure and the others take good care of me!" Akane raised an eyebrow as a response. "You live here, Honda-san?" she questioned, curiosity evident in her soft tone. Tohru nodded again, "Yes, they were so kind, letting me stay here!"

The redhead chuckled and nodded in agreement, "I suppose they are." Tohru smiled back and gestured to the living room, "Why don't you sit down, dinner is almost ready." The two girls chatted animatedly before Tohru left to check up on the food. Akane studied the others, and smiled in contentment. Ruo was talking with Hatori and Shigure outside while Momiji and Haru disappeared up the stairs.

The young woman sighed and awkwardly sat down, not knowing what to do. She looked around the empty room and thought wryly, _This looks so sad…_she jumped in surprise as she suddenly heard loud footsteps and shouts coming from the second floor. Akane looked up the stairs, wondering if Haru and Momiji were okay.

"Haru? Momiji?" she called, receiving nothing but incoherent shouts. Suddenly, a mob of orange came hurling down the stairs and landed on top of Akane. The redhead winced and saw stars as the back of her head collided with the hard floor, hearing a dull buzz in her ears. Soon after, a loud _'poof' _was heard and she was enveloped in smoke with something pressing against her chest.

Akane blinked away the tears, but stared silently as her green eyes met cat-like red ones. A few seconds passed as the redhead stared at the orange cat. As its presence registered in Akane's mind, she squealed and picked it up, cuddling it close to her chest, "What a cute kitty!" she exclaimed as she rubbed her face against the soft fur, "Such nice grooming! Is this your pet?" she asked Yuki, as he, Momiji and Haru descended the staircase.

"No," Yuki replied curtly, "Just a…stray." He finished, smirking as the cat hissed at him. Haru and Momiji ducked behind the table, pumping their fists in the air, Haru with a blank look on his face and Momiji with a cheerful one, "Go Yuki!" they cheered simultaneously.

"Watch what you're saying you damn rat!" the orange cat hissed, his fur standing dangerously. Akane blinked as she recognized the deep voice, and eventually, the orange hair.

"Kyo-san?" she asked holding the angry cat in front of her. "Is that you, Kyo-san?"

The cat in question barked, or rather, meowed back loudly, "Of course it is, crazy lady!" he placed his front paws on Akane's pale face and attempted to push himself away, "Get away from me!" Akane chuckled at the teenager's reaction and placed him back on the floor.

"So do you two have the same situation as Hatori-san?" she asked, directing her question to Yuki and Kyo. Yuki nodded politely while picking up the shouting cat by the scruff of his neck.

"Yes, we do." he voiced out his answer while throwing the cat over his shoulder and back up the stairs**. Just as the cat disappeared from view, another loud _'poof' _was heard, announcing Kyo turning back to his human form.

"Damn rat! What'd you do that for?"

"It was so Akane-san wouldn't have to witness something that would scar her permanently."

"I'm gonna kill you!"

"I'd like to see you try."

Akane could do nothing but hold up her hands in a vain attempt to calm them down, a sweat drop rolling down the side of her head, _I can't believe they're always like this…_

The fight was interrupted as a disoriented Tohru came running out of the kitchen, ladle in hand and squeaking out consoling words. And thus, the night with the Sohma family continued.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Dinner passed by without any problems, the group talked for a while at the dinner table, sharing stories of the family's experience. They told the story of how Tohru ended up living with them, about the trips they had to the Hot Springs and the Sohma's summer home. They explained the more detailed version of the Sohma family curse. And little by little, the Yoshikuni siblings slowly felt as though they had become a part of the family, and shared their own personal stories.

Ruo begged Akane to allow him to share the incident earlier in the morning, Akane finally agreeing. The whole group went into hysterics over it, even Hatori let a small smile slip. They also listened intently as Ruo told stories about his experiences during the championships. Another chorus of laughter circulated as he mentioned a time when Akane accompanied Ruo to one of his practices and tried to shoot an arrow. It ended up embedding itself in his coach's tires.

His reaction was hilarious.

The night ended on a good note as everyone said their 'goodbye's and Hatori, Akane and Ruo made their way to the car, declining the invitation to stay the night. Momiji and Haru agreed though, and they stood in front of the sliding door as the three adults left the large house.

Hatori kept his seat in the driver's seat, but Akane had taken the seat beside him while Ruo snoozed of in the back. Akane peered to her sleeping brother and snickered at the childlike innocence of his sleeping face. Hatori glanced sideward as he heard her laugh and asked out of curiosity, "What is it?"

Akane shook her head and looked back at the doctor, "If only he was always that quiet," she said, gesturing to her brother in Lala Land, "Imagine how much more peaceful life would be…" she trailed off, smiling at the nice thought. Hatori blinked in surprise, chuckling lightly as he did so. Hatori and Akane drifted into silence, with only the sound the car's engine and the sound of Ruo's light snores as the two's music.

"Ah," Akane exclaimed silently, breaking the quiet mantra. She pressed her face against the door's window, her hot breath fogging the cool glass, "It's snowing!" Hatori stiffened at the mention of snow, his mind wallowing in the memory of Kana. He looked at the redhead, her gaze set on the falling snow with her face pulled in a peaceful smile. Without warning he suddenly brought her out of her hypnotized stare.

"Akane-san, may I ask you a question?" he asked the young woman, his eyes turning back to the road. When he noticed Akane nod from the corner of his eyes, he continued, "When snow melts, what does it become?"

She didn't answer right away, and once again, silence ensued inside the cold car. A few minutes passed before Akane finally stated her answer, "The truth." Hatori stared in surprise at her and noticed her once peaceful smile turn into a sad and remorseful one. "Snow covers up everything. The grass, the trees…and I suppose the truth."

"You only see white when it's winter, everything else disappears, and so does the reality of things." she continued her explanation, "But when spring comes by, the truth –no matter how painful or bad, comes back as well, and you're pulled out of the illusion of peace." Her sad smiled deepened as she finalized her answer, "That's what happens when snow melts."

Hatori didn't know why, but he had the sneaking suspicion that she was speaking through experience. He distinctly remembered Kana's answer and compared it to hers. Kana's had been innocent and happy, Akane's was deep and sad, as if she knew what it was like to be in pain. Hatori's didn't know why, but he had decided, that maybe…

…maybe he could try to understand her more.

_**End Chapter 6**_

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

*- Reference: http:// .org/ wiki/ Vaccination_of_dogs#Controversies_in_dog_vaccination

**- Don't ask me how this is possible, it's anime guys! XP

**A/N: **Whooo! I liked that chappie! :] Teehee! Don't forget to drop a review on your way out!


	7. Fetching the Tiger

**A/N: **Well, here it is…:) The 7th chapter of Playing the Memories…err…yeah…I have no sarcastic and/or crazy remark…so…yeah…on to the thankiies..:]

**Thanks To:**

**QueenThayet12990: **Buahaha! I didn't have to look up your penname to remember the numbers! :) Yahoo! Haha, well, anyways, thanks so much for the review! I WILL keep writing!

**Kee-chayne: **Yes, I did research, thank you very much! :))

**disneytiger: **I like it, short, simple, and straight to the point, :) Thankiies!

**A Special Thanks To:**

A special thanks to a new reader, **BookWormie123, **who has put this story on her Story Alert! Thankiies so much! :D

Enjoy!

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

**Chapter 7: Fetching the Tiger**

Akane laid on her bed that same night, pondering over the conversation she had with the usually quiet Sohma. She frowned slightly as she reminisced, silently scolding herself for the stupid answer she had given the doctor.

_Flashback_

"_When snow melts, what does it become?"_

"_The truth."_

_End Flashback_

The redhead groaned as she though over her answer, regretting the fact that she had said something so…deep. _I should have just said water, _she thought while angrily throwing the thick blanket off her body.

"God dammit, why did I say that?" she growled to herself, bringing her clenched fists above her head then dug it against the soft bed under her, "Stupid Akane! Stupid, stupid, stupid!" she chanted through gritted teeth, her fists pounding the innocent bed with each word. "What possessed me to say something so idiotic?" she questioned herself before bringing her hands down for one last punch to the bed.

After a few minutes of muttering curse words and abusing the bed, she had finally calmed down and collapsed on the pillows. She looked up at the dark ceiling, her eyes softening as she relived once again the conversation the two had, "Damn," she sighed out and rolled in the small bed, her head burying itself in the soft pillows.

_What kind of question was that anyway? _She thought to herself as the question the doctor had asked her earlier in the evening replayed in her mind. Akane inhaled deeply and screamed into the pillow, ridding herself of all possibly rational thoughts that had gone through her head. Her fists started pounding on the pillow, her long legs thrashing around in between the confines of the blanket.

"Forget this," she growled out. With a twist of the legs she was free from the tight blankets, accompanied by a push of the hands, she rolled of the bed with a painful _'thud'_, "I can't sleep." Akane muttered with her face flat against the floor, muffling her already soft voice.

The young woman released another sigh as she stood from the cold floor, her small feet creating soft thumping noises as she padded across the room to the door. _I need something to drink…_

Akane pulled her hair into a loose ponytail as she descended the steps, her eyes drooping sleepily. She crossed her arms over her chest in an attempt to keep away the cold. As she reached the bottom of the stairs, she stared in surprise at the kitchen door, soft light penetrating the bottom crack.

_Someone else is here? _she questioned herself as she slowly entered the kitchen, trying carefully not to make any sounds. Akane peered inside as she looked for the other person present. She cursed herself mentally once she saw Hatori's tall figure sitting on the floor, a steaming cup of tea in hand. "Perfect," she muttered sarcastically, but entered the kitchen all the same.

"Hatori-san," Akane greeted him quietly as she stood in front of the door. Hatori turned in his seat and looked in surprise at the young woman. He gave a quick nod 'hello' and motioned for her to sit down in the seat across from his own. "Thanks." she replied, striding across the room and kneeling on the floor. As she tucked her legs beneath her body, Akane deftly rested her hands on the long pajama pants she wore.

"Tea?" Hatori offered, handing Akane his own cup, "I haven't drunk from it yet." Akane looked at the cup in his hand then back at him before bursting out laughing. Hatori jumped in surprise at the sudden noise, and then slowly frowned in offence. "What is it?"

Akane shook her head lightly as her laughs turned into small chuckles, "Sorry, sorry, it's just that," she paused, trying to regain her breathe, "You said something so gentleman-like." she continued, giving the doctor a small smile, "I'm not used to that." Hatori gave her a small smile and pushed the small cup nearer to Akane's side of the table.

"You should act surprised if it was Shigure who did something like this," he shot back, the smile lingering for a moment. Akane looked at him through half-lidded eyes as he said this, and pushed the cup back to Hatori.

"Have you been friends with him for a long time?" she asked, genuinely curious about the relationship he and the loud novelist had, "You two seem pretty close." she said, standing up from the floor and making her way to the kitchen counter.

"Yes," Hatori replied, increasing his voice's volume in order for Akane to hear him, "Shigure, Ayame and I have been close friends since childhood." he explained while slowly sipping on the hot tea.

"Eh?!" Akane exclaimed, arching her back in order to see Hatori from inside the kitchen, her long ponytail cascading over her face, "That's so hard to believe!" she laughed and straightened her posture, "Ayame was the silver-haired one, right?" Akane asked the doctor curiously while stirring the freshly made cup of tea.

"That's right," he replied, nodding. "We were practically raised together actually. We're pretty much like brothers." Hatori reasoned with a hard look, "There is no way I'll ever tell them that though." he finished with a small frown.

Akane laughed at his seriousness while walking out of the kitchen and taking back the seat in front of him, "I would have never known," she said, shaking her head in amusement. "I mean, your personalities are so different," she looked to the side thoughtfully and tried to recall her meeting with the other two. The redhead grimaced as she remembered their forwardness at the restaurant, "Very different."

"Pretty much," Hatori replied, the frown now replaced with a soft smile, "But they are trustworthy." Akane looked back at him, she sighed silently while resting her chin on the palm of her hand.

"I suppose they should be for you to have said that about them."

And thus, the two were trapped in an eerie silence. Akane shifted unconsciously in her seat while turning the cup in her hands and occasionally taking small sips. Hatori studied Akane's uncomfortable expression, a hard and nonchalant look masking his face. The young woman mentally begged for him not to bring up the earlier conversation they had had in the car..

The two sat in silence for a little bit longer. Reveling in all her boredom, Akane cross her arms over the table and bury her face in them, in order to avoid any unnecessary and not to mention _awkward_ eye contact. A few more minutes had passed before the doctor decided to start a conversation; topic: Akane's answer to the oh-so-famous 'Snow to Spring' riddle.

"Akane-san," Hatori addressed her silently, his olive gaze boring silently into the top of her head, "Your answer to my question earlier…what did you mean by it?"

Silence.

"Akane-san?" he called again, leaning over the table to prod her head lightly with a finger. He stared incredulously as her head lolled out of the confines of her arms, exposing her shut eyes, long lashes brushing against the top of her rosy cheeks. Hatori felt his jaw drop as he heard soft snores escaping the woman's slightly parted lips. "She's asleep." he scoffed, shaking his head in annoyance, "I don't believe it."

Hatori sighed as he got up from the floor, exiting the kitchen for a brief moment. He opened one of the many doors in the living room and retrieved a thick blanket from its shelf. He walked silently to the kitchen while spreading open the blanket and wrapped the cloth around Akane's body. The dark-haired man then pulled her into his arms, holding her away from his chest, wary of the curse.

As soon as he had entered the woman's room, he carefully placed Akane on the soft bed and pulled the extra blanket over her. He rolled his eyes at the girl's short-attention span before switching off the lights and exiting the now dark room. Hatori looked back, the door a mere few centimeters away from his face.

"Goodnight, Akane-san."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"I'm late!"

Akane hastily rolled out of bed, the impact with the hard floor creating a loud crashing sound. She untangled herself from the blankets and stood from the floor, not bothering to fix her comforters. The long legs of the pajama pants muffled her footsteps as she ran out the room and into the hallway, hurriedly making her way to the unoccupied bathroom.

"I'm late, I'm late, I'm _so_ late!" she screamed to herself and slammed the bathroom door shut. She stripped herself of the thin tank top and pants, scattering it all over the cold, marble floor. Akane entered the shower and twisted the shower knob, wincing as the ice cold water made contact with her already cool skin.

"Cold!" she exclaimed, but nevertheless, popped open the shampoo bottle, squeezed a large amount onto her palm and rubbed it vigorously through her tangled hair. Once she had gotten rid of all soap suds on her hair and body, she exited the shower and wrapped a clean towel around her shivering body. She looked around the bathroom in search of her clothes, but froze in realization.

"Shit."

Akane peeked out of the door through a small crack and sighed in relief when she saw no one. She tip toed quietly across the hall to her room in hopes that none of the other residents would notice her…naked-ness. She smiled happily as she made it to the door and jutted out her hand to twist open the knob. Akane closed the door behind her and opened the small closet in the corner of the room, looking for an outfit suitable for work.

She brought out a long-sleeved, dark blue dress that came to a stop at her knees, and pulled out a random scarf from one of the hooks in the closet. The redhead forced open a different drawer, pulling out black stockings and a pair of black gloves. She buttoned the front of the dress and pulled one half of the stockings over her legs, the other half dragging across the floor. Akane grabbed the messenger bag hanging from the door handle, tucked the gloves under her chin and exited the small room.

The woman pulled her hair into a messy bun as she ran down the stairs, ignoring the questioning gazes of Ruo and Hatori as she passed by them. She pulled up the other half of the stockings and shrugged on the bag strap onto one shoulder.

"Akane-san?" Hatori asked the young woman as she ran around the living room, not really knowing what to do next. "Are you okay?"

"No," she shouted as she kneeled on the floor, peering under the dining room table, "I can't find my shoes and I'm already late!" she said, looking under the couch, in the different closets, and even opening the refrigerator door in hopes of finding the lost shoes.

"Wasn't it in your room?" Ruo asked, from the table, popping a piece of fish into his mouth. Akane paused mid-stride and mulled over the detail. She looked back to her brother, an annoyed look plastered all over her flushing face.

"I already checked." she commented snidely, crossing her arms over her chest and giving her nonchalant brother a smug look, "Do you think I'm so stupid as to not having check-"

"Under the bed." Ruo cut her off, dropping another piece of fish into his mouth followed by a clump of rice, "Did you check under the bed?" he rephrased the question, shooting Akane a knowing look. "You didn't, did you?"

The redhead opened her mouth to shout back a comeback, but decided against it and ran up the stairs, entering her room once again. Akane darted over to the side of the messy bed and pulled up the pale coves, peering under the bed and into the dark shadows. She scowled as she saw the black heels lying innocently on top of each other.

"Damn you, Ruo."

She snatched the shoes from under the bed and held it by the heels, running back out the door and down the stairs. As she entered the dining room, she noticed the arrogant look on her brother's face and the amused one of Hatori's.

"Shut it." Akane barked at Ruo as he opened his mouth, probably to give her a smug comment. "Damn, I'm so late." Hatori stood up from the table and called out to the bustling girl.

"What about breakfast?" he asked while Akane snatched the black gloves –which she had placed on the table prior to the shoes incident and hurriedly pulled them over her hands.

"I'll just have something at the office!" she replied and ran to the door of the large house, pulling her coat and beanie from the stand in the process, "Gotta go now!" Akane said while hopping around on one foot, the other being pushed into one shoe. "Bye!"

"Uh, wait!" Hatori tried to stop her, holding up Akane's messenger bag by the strap.

_Slam!_

Hatori and Ruo stared confusedly as the door slammed loudly, trying to process what had just occurred. Hatori sighed and leaned against the wall, his grip on the bag strap slacking, making it hit the floor lightly. The two jumped up in surprise as the door opened and closed again, staring while the dishelved redhead padded across the room and snatched the bag from Hatori's hands.

"Forgot this." Akane muttered with a blush before running back out the door. Ruo shook and held out his hands to 'balance' himself for effect as the wooden edge of the door came in contact with the wall, creating another loud banging sound.

Ruo laughed loudly as Hatori's gaze darted back on forth from his hand to the door, still shocked over the curtness of the wild woman.

"Well," Ruo snickered out, standing up and heading over to where Hatori still stood, "The mornings of this week is going to be very interesting with her around." he stated, giving the doctor a hard pat on the back. Hatori grunted and gave the other man a glare, "Get used to it." The older Yoshikuni finished, placing his hand on the doctor's shoulder while an amused smile crossed his lips.

"I don't think I can." Hatori replied, sighing as he sat back down in front of the table, finishing what was left of his breakfast, "I seriously don't think I can."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Done." Akane slouched against her office chair, the high stacks of paperwork covering her lithe form from view. She glanced up at the wall clock; the narrow hands both pointing at '12'. They were taunting her by announcing the half-completion of her full day at work. "Lunch time." She placed both her hands in front of her, her cool touch contrasting with the warm wood. Akane pushed the desk forcefully, giving her enough room to stand up from the chair.

As she exited the office door, she was met with smiling face of Dai. Akane growled lightly while side-stepping, escaping from the older woman's tight hug. Apparently, Akane still hadn't forgiven her for the incident the other day.

"Don't touch me, don't talk to me, don't even breathe the same air as me." Akane recited, ignoring the sorrowful look Dai had probably practiced the night before.

"Oh, come on." Dai whined, following Akane as she entered the clinic's small lounge room. "You can't be mad forever, darling." she sang, prodding Akane's back with a finger, "Besides, I was going to make it up to you."

This revelation had piqued Akane's interest, though she tried very hard not to make it obvious. She glanced to the side where Dai was smiling cheekily, already knowing that Akane was curious as to what she had done. "What is it?" Akane asked, her head drooping in defeat as Dai laughed jovially.

"I knew you couldn't resist," she teased but then patted the young redhead on the back, "You can go half-day today." Dai laughed as Akane's expression visibly brightened.

"Really?" she squealed, clinging on to Dai's hands, eyes sparkling with happiness, "Half-day? Today?" her eyes suddenly narrowed in suspicion while her tone turned accusing, questioning the validity of what Dai had stated, "What's the catch?"

Dai followed the question with a look of hurt and held a hand to her heart, "Oh you wound me, Kane, dear." she mewled out, crying crocodile tears, "There is no catch, I just told the demon boss that you worked overtime yesterday." She explained, the sad expression being replaced with an annoyed one, "I swear, he is in love with you. He would do anything for you Kane-chan."

Akane laughed at her 'observation' while making herself a hot cup of coffee, "I think it's just because I actually do my job," she teased, giving her friend a pointed look, "Unlike some people."

"Yeah, yeah, well," Dai sighed, pretending to swoon dramatically, "I have an image to keep." The two shared a laugh as they talked about their boss' attraction to Akane. A little while later, they bid each other their goodbyes and Akane left the office.

As she walked down the sidewalk, she felt the phone in her messenger back vibrate and attempted to retrieve it with her gloved hands. She hissed in annoyance as she thrashed through her bag, trying to find the noisy gadget. Akane smiled in satisfaction as she found the still ringing phone and pressed the green button, holding the small phone to her ear.

"Hello?" she breathed out, warm air escaping her pink lips.

"_Hello, Akane-san?" _the deep voice replied, making Akane smile in recognition.

"Ah, Hatori-san! Yes, what is it?" she asked, stopping to lean against the cement wall, staring up at the graying sky as soft flakes of snow started to fall.

"_I have to pick up a cousin of mine, and her school is on the way to your office." _he replied. Akane could hear a car engine in the background, guessing that Hatori was currently driving in his car, _"What time do you get off?"_

"Oh, I was actually allowed to go half-day today. So I'm on the way home right now." she answered, still celebrating the fact of her early dismissal.

"_Would you like me to pick you up?"_ Hatori offered, much to the young woman's surprise. She gaped in shock at the phone before quickly giving her answer.

"No, it's okay." Akane looked around the area, trying to remember any other school she had passed by on her way to work, besides Haru and Momiji's. "Ah!" she snapped when she seemed to recall another school building, "Actually, I think I know what school you're talking about. If you like, I could just wait for you at the gate. You can pick up me and your cousin at the same time." she reasoned, twirling her pointer finger on a loose thread on her bag.

"_Very well, I'll be there in half an hour." _Akane heard a click on the other end, signaling the end of the two's phone conversation. She too clicked the end button on the phone and shoved deep into her coat pocket. She smiled and rubbed her hands together as the cold air of winter enveloped her small body.

"That car better be damn warm."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Fifteen minutes, seven falling accidents and running into a stop sign later, Akane stood in front of the large school gates, arms crossed over her chest and a serene smile on her face.

_I love the snow…_her thoughts trailed off as she giggled lightly, spinning as snowflakes slowly fell from the dark sky, her dark blue skirt twirling around her knees. She paused and exhaled deeply, laughing at the childishness of her thoughts. Akane looked back at the school as a loud bell sounded over the grounds, signaling the end of classes.

Her eyes skimmed over the different faces, trying to guess who the mysterious Sohma-cousin was. She guessed by the heights of the children that they were probably in middle school, maybe in the early years of junior high. Her thoughts travelled back to the Sohmas. If she judged what Hatori's cousin looked like, they would probably be strikingly handsome…or beautiful, or maybe even both.

She looked back at the road and glanced at the watch secured around her wrist. It was already one o'clock. _Where is Hatori? _she couldn't help but think, sighing in distress. The young woman's face was flushing red from the cold, and her pink lips had already turned unnaturally pale. All of that, plus the evil torture of thinking about the warm car she could have been in during that very minute.

Akane's dark thoughts were interrupted as a small girl stood beside her, her neck craning over the streets, probably looking for someone. A few minutes passed and almost everyone had left the school grounds and yet the two girls still stood at the gate. That's when the _brilliant _Akane had decided to put two and two together.

"Excuse me," she said, looking down at the little girl. She was surprised to see the girl's unusual coloring, light brown –almost orange hair that came to a stop at her chin, and bright honey colored doe eyes. She was very pretty. Akane smiled at the smaller girl's confused and shy look and continued in a kind tone, "Are you a Sohma?"

The girl fidgeted slightly, her eyes downcast and covered by the shadows of her bangs, "Y-yes." Akane's smile grew ten-fold and clapped her hands in excitement.

"That's wonderful! Oh, you're so cute!" she gushed scooping the little girl into her arms, "My name is Akane Yoshikuni, I'm a friend of Hatori's." she put the shocked girl down and gave her a light pat on the head, "He was supposed to pick the both of us up." The girl's shy look slowly turned into one of understanding.

"Oh, are you the one staying at the Sohma Estate for a week?" she asked, her big eyes glazing over with interest. Akane nodded happily and knelt down to meet Kisa's height.

"The one and only." she laughed lightly. The ecstatic redhead then snapped her fingers, remembering the small complication of the Sohma family. Akane turned back to the small girl and asked quietly, "Are you a part of the Zodiac?"

"Y-yes, I am the tiger, Kisa Sohma." Kisa replied with an awkward bow. She looked back at Akane and gave a nervous smile, "Nice to meet you, Akane-san." Akane felt her mind turn to mush as she witnessed Kisa's smile.

"So cute!" Akane exclaimed, pulling the girl into another tight embrace. She pulled away for a moment, looking at Kisa with a serious look, "Since Hatori-san is late, we must punish him, don't you think so?" Kisa stuttered for a moment, not knowing whether Akane was being perfectly serious with her statement. She sighed in relief though as Akane laughed.

"I'm just kidding," she said teasingly, "But since he really is late, let's go shopping, okay?" Akane asked clasping her hand together and clapping excitedly. "I want to find the perfect winter dress for you!" she squealed, pulling Kisa along with her down the road.

"B-but are you sure, Hatori-jii-san won't mind?" Kisa asked, wary of the dragon's reaction when he finds them gone. Akane waved off the question and continued to guide Kisa through the sidewalk.

"Let that old man be," Akane stated, turning around a corner and stopping. She turned around to face Kisa and gave the tiger a kind smile, "For now, I'm going to buy you a nice outfit. Then after that, we can have some dinner." The woman stated as she turned in her step and skipped down the road, the younger girl's small hand clasped in Akane's. "Okay?"

"Um, are you sure you don't mind?" Kisa asked shyly, trying to keep in step with the older woman, "I wouldn't want to be a bother." she muttered quietly, her large eyes almost glistening with tears. Akane paused in her step and collected the girl in her arms.

"SO CUTE!" she screamed, rubbing her cheek against Kisa's blushing ones. "Don't worry about it! I've always wanted a younger sister to dress up!" she explained while loosening her grip on Kisa's body. "So, let Kane-nee-san dress you up, okay?"

Kisa smiled brightly at the thought and nodded happily, "Okay!"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Hatori cursed as he looked at the time displayed on his phone, mocking him of his tardiness. His foot pressed against the accelerator of the car even harder, hoping to get at the school entrance sooner.

_Damn you, Akito…_

The doctor sighed in relief as the school gates came to view, expecting to see the two girls sitting on the floor or slouching against the wall, shivering in the cold atmosphere. Hatori searched the area and stared in confusion when all he saw were empty spaces. He pulled out the cell phone from his pocket and quickly dialed Akane's number, worrying over their absence in the school grounds.

His grip tightened on the steering wheel as he turned back to the direction of the Sohma Estate.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Kisa-chan! Try this one, I think it would go great with your hair!" Akane called as she pulled out a pale pink cotton dress with white lace trimming the dress's collar and cuffs. She held it against Kisa body and smiled in satisfaction. She pushed Kisa to one of the many dressing rooms and told her to put on the dress.

She skimmed over other choices and stopped as she laid her eyes on a light brown coat. It reminded Akane of her black one and decided to get it for Kisa, giggling at the thought of having matching attires.

_Like sisters. _She smiled and pulled the coat from its hanger and headed back to the dressing room Kisa was in. "Are you done, Kisa-chan?" she asked, waiting patiently for the girl to emerge in the pink dress. As Akane heard the curtain rustle, she stared in excitement as Kisa stepped outside, her face turning pink as Akane surveyed her appearance.

"Perfect!" the redhead exclaimed, clapping her hands in approval. She handed Kisa the brown coat handing off her arm and told her to try it on. Akane sat down on one of the waiting chairs, but jumped in surprise as she felt her phone vibrate in the coat pocket. She winced slightly, guessing who the caller probably was.

"H-hello?" she said to the mouthpiece, holding the phone slightly away from her ear, expecting he doctor's probable response.

"_Where in the world are you, Akane-san!?" _the doctor's deep voiced sounded on the other end of the line. Akane sighed as a response before answering the angry man's exclamation.

"In the mall, with Kisa-chan." She liked that, short, simple, and straight to the point. Akane wasn't the type to beat around the bush –moreover give pointless excuses.

"_And you didn't bother telling me because…" _Hatori trailed off, anger and irritation still evident in his voice.

"But didn't I just tell you?" Okay, now she was just being a smart ass.

"_Akane-san…" _he warned, his voice now lacing with annoyance. Akane was now afraid of coming home to this demon doctor.

"Alright, alright," she whined, rolling her eyes. Hmm…immature much.

"_Really, Akane-san, I knew you were something else." _Hatori started his sermon, his first remark actually flattering Akane. _"But I never knew you were _this_ irresponsible." _

Akane snapped.

"Oi, oi! _Who_ was the one who was late in picking me and Kisa-chan up, huh?" Akane hissed into the mouthpiece, a frown marring her pale face. "And _who _was the one who didn't bother calling me on my cell phone?" Hatori replied with silence, making Akane smirk though unseen by the doctor.

"Yeah…thought so." she shot back smugly, hmph-ing as Hatori scoffed loudly.

"_You come home, right now." _Hatori said with a hard voice. Akane could just imagine the evil look crossing his green eyes by now.

"No." Akane replied, looking over to the little girl smiling widely at her reflection. "Kisa-chan and I are going to bond over shopping and dinner." she said with a smile as said girl twirled in front of the mirror. Kisa looked up to meet Akane's gaze and waved at her with a smile.

"_What do you expect me to tell Kisa's mom?" _Hatori asked, his voice raising its volume, _"That some crazy redhead took her to the mall for shopping and dinner?"_

Akane took no offence in this and replied with a mocking tone, "Oh, I'm sure you'll think of something." The 'crazy' redhead smiled in satisfaction as she heard the dragon's irritated growl.

"_You're dead when you come home." _Hatori voiced out the threat, malice dripping with every syllable.

"Whatever, grandpa."

"_Irresponsible shrew."_

"Stuck-up jerk."

"_Insufferable witch."_

"Tch, fine!"

"_Fine!"_

"FINE!"

_Click._

Akane stared angrily at the phone as the man on the other end hung up on her. "That little bastard, he hung up on me!" she shouted standing up from the chair and stomping her heeled foot on the marble ground.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"_Tch, fine!"_

"Fine!"

"_FINE!"_

Hatori pressed the end button on his phone, and smirked as he imagined the irritated expression on the redhead's face. He then frowned deeply, recalling the earlier conversation they both had. The usually calm and collected doctor growled in frustration and threw the black cell phone across the room and glared at the device as it made contact with the hard wall.

Ruo felt a nervous sweat drop slide down his head as he practically saw the steam escape from Hatori's ears. He smiled knowingly and focused his attention back to the newspaper in head, clicking his tongue as he did so.

"Oh, Kane-chan, if only you knew the effect you had on Hatori." he sighed to himself, a distressed look appearing on the Yoshikuni's face. He looked back at the fuming doctor who walked to the landline phone, probably to call the mother of the two's topic of argument, and clicked his tongue once more, "If only you knew."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"A-Akane-san? Is everything alright? Kisa asked, the nervous look appearing on her flushed face, "Is Hatori-jii-san mad?" Akane's angry gaze softened as she looked back at Kisa, smiling as she shook her head.

"Nah, everything is fine." she assured the small girl, ruffling her hair in an attempt to comfort her. "C'mon, let's go pay for your stuff." Akane said with a smile. Kisa nodded eagerly at the happy woman before skipping back to the dressing room to take of the dress and coat.

The two exited the large boutique and looked around the area for a suitable place to eat. Akane sighed as she looked at the different names of restaurants, not recognizing any one of them.

"Where would you like to eat, Kisa-chan?" Akane asked politely, never really being a picky eater, "Italian, American…or we could just go with Japanese. Or fast food, do you like fast food?" Akane listed off the possible choices of food, looking around the different menus displayed outside of the restaurants.

"Fast food?" Kisa asked, a curious look appearing on her face, "What is that?" Akane laughed at the younger girl's naiveté but still answered her question.

"It's food that comes cheap and in ready-to-go packaging." she explained to Kisa, but tried to think of a better explanation when the curiosity on the girl's face wasn't relieved, "It generally tastes good, but is killer on your figure." she teased while patting a hand on her hip, sighing when Kisa tilted her head to the side, still not understanding. "You mean you've never eaten fast food?"

Kisa shook her head, "No, I haven't."

"Wow…" Akane shook her head –partly in amazement, partly in disbelief. _How rich are the Sohmas? _She thought with a sweat drop, but smiled at the younger girl, "Well, I guess we have to settle for cheapness today!" she said, claiming a hold of Kisa's hand and directing her to one of the many fast food restaurants. Akane was silently relieved at having quick dinner. Though she would never allow her pride to be crushed by admitting it, she was slightly intimidated by what Hatori would do if they got home too late.

Akane ordered her meal and smiled in amusement as Kisa stuttered in confusion, not knowing what to say. The older redhead decided to order for her, and the two ended up having the same meal. Kisa, who actually had the same taste with Akane when it comes to food, had enjoyed her first fast food experience.

As the two exited the mall, they were greeted with the chilly winter air, wincing as the icy wind pierced their eyes. They walked down the sidewalk of the road, and in a time span of fifteen minutes, they safely made entered the gates of the Sohma Main House. Akane offered to bring the tiger to the front of her house, which she had happily agreed to.

Kisa slid open the sliding doors and gave Akane a tight hug, "Thank you so much, Akane-san." she said, looking up at the smiling woman, "I had a lot of fun, and I really like the dress and coat. Are you sure you want to give it to me? I can pay you back." Akane waved off the offer and returned her hug just as tightly.

"Don't worry about it," she laughed while releasing the small girl from her grip, "You can repay me by calling me Kane-nee-san." Akane replied, ruffling Kisa's short hair playfully. "Okay?"

Kisa nodded happily and gave a curt bow, "Okay! Goodnight, Kane-nee-san!" Akane waved goodbye and turned around, making her way back to Hatori's home. She sighed as she replayed their phone conversation, mentally kicking herself for how childish she had been.

"I'm dead meat."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Akane entered the unusually quiet house and called out softly, "I'm back." her voice echoing against the walls of the large house. She sighed out of relief as she noticed no angry dragon in sight and entered the house, kicking off her shoes as she closed the door behind her. Akane screamed in terror as she came face to face with Momiji, her erratic breathing making loud and ragged sounds.

"Momiji-chan! You scared me!" she panted out, holding a hand to her heart. "Don't do that…" Akane whined while trying to regain her normal breathing patterns. Momiji giggled at the woman's reaction and tugged on her free hand, guiding her to the kitchen.

"Sorry, Ka-chan!" Momiji replied while forcing her to sit down on the space beside his own seat, "But can you help me with my homework? Ruo-chan doesn't understand my lesson and Hatori seems to be in a bad mood!" he complained, pouting at the two men's inability to tutor him. Akane laughed nervously when the bunny mentioned Hatori's foul mood and looked over to the notebook Momiji was holding up in front of her. She smiled as she recognized the lesson and agreed to help the teenager with anything he was having trouble with.

Half an hour had passed and the young woman was still struggling to help the blonde boy with his lesson, but never once raised her voice at the determined teenager. Akane sighed lightly as she explained one of the lessons to the bunny as clearly as she possibly can.

_This is going to be a long night…_

_**End Chapter 7**_

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

**A/N: **Waaahhh! Super long chapter! XD I'm so happy! Haha, sorry if Hatori seemed a little OOC, but I wanted to show you the effect the 'crazy redhead' had on our hottie doctor, :D Review and subscribe please! Byiie!


	8. Adoring the Monkey

**A/N: **And here it is! Whew! I made the deadline! I'm so happy for that. I hope you guys enjoy reading this chapter just as much as I enjoyed writing it! On to the thankiies!

**Thanks To: **

**Marisu-Miseru-** Haha, thankiies so much for the review! I'm glad you think it's amazing, :] Yes, I know I'm a goofball, but that's why you love me, right sis? :D –huggles- Hai! I shall try! Keyword: try. :))

**Cunnawabum- **Yes, it practically is! :D I'm glad you loved their bonding time! I enjoyed writing that part as well! :)

**-Valor-**- An extra special thanks to you for being my 20th reviewer! I'm really happy you get a laugh whenever you read my story, 'cause I know I do whenever I write it. Your review has truly touched me, :)

**QueenThayet12190- **I'm glad you liked its cuteness! Please keep them reviews going! Thankiies! :]

**A Special Thanks To:**

**kitsune light **and** LOSGAP **for adding this story to your Favorites list! Hopefully, you can leave a review before leaving, –hint hint- ;) Another thanks to **LOSGAP** for not only putting this story on her Favorites, but also for adding me and this story to her Alert AND adding yours truly to her Favorite Authors list, :) I appreciate it! Thankiies to you all!

Enjoy!

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

**Chapter 8: Adoring the Monkey**

It was the Yoshikuni's fourth day in the Sohma Estate, a Wednesday, when Akane had finally requested an audience with Hatori, her mind being plagued by a question, its answer still unknown from the time of their arrival.

A towel hung from Akane's head as she rubbed it over her red hair in large circles in attempt to dry the locks before leaving for the clinic. She knocked softly on the door to Hatori's office, leaning on the wall beside her and waiting patiently for the doctor to give her the approval of entering.

"Come in."

Akane twisted the door knob and pushed the door open, revealing the doctor hunched over the table, eyes scrutinizing the document in front of him and pen in hand. She sighed loudly as she watched him work, though secretly admiring his perseverance and dedication. The redhead would be surprised to know that almost everything the doctor tends to is the evil little Sohma Head –Akito.

"What is it?" Hatori asked, not bothering to look up at Akane as she entered the office and leaned on the door frame, "I'm busy." Akane rolled her eyes in annoyance before walking up to the doctor and snatching his pen. She hooked her finger under his chin and pulled his head upward, making green meet green.

"I want to meet the entire Zodiac." She stated firmly, not in the least intimidated by the death glare the dragon was shooting at her. Though if looks could kill, she would have dropped dead ages ago. When Hatori saw the determination in the fiery redhead's eyes, he sighed in defeat and retrieved the pen from her hand, continuing his report.

"Why?" he asked, his visible eye scanning over the different pages laid down on the table in front of him. Akane snorted at the question, as if the answer was too obvious to explain.

"Because I want to," she replied, her hands landing deftly on the curve of her hips. "Isn't it obvious?" she questioned Hatori with a mocking tone. The man in question tore his eyes away from his work and scowled at the smirking woman deeply.

"That isn't much an answer," he said condescendingly, glaring at the woman's frowning face, "But fine, I'll humor you. When do you want to meet them?" Akane brightened up at the approval and clapped her hands in excitement.

"My birthday is this Saturday!" she informed Hatori, her mind working over-load at the possibility of meeting the entire Zodiac, "And since it will be the end of me and Ruo's stay here, you can all go to our apartment to celebrate, right?" Hatori narrowed his eyes, debating over the pros and cons of the suggestion.

"Come on!" Akane chided, almost jumping with excitement at the thought of celebrating her birthday with the Sohmas, "It's a weekend anyway, so the kids can come too!" she continued listing as many good sides of the idea, hoping deep inside that the doctor would accept the proposition. _"Please?"_ Akane clasped her hands together for emphasis, her lower lip jutting out and her doe-like green eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"Fine." Hatori sighed out his response, pinching the bridge of his nose –already feeling the consequences of his decision, "You'll meet the Zodiac on Friday." he stated, covering his ears in preparation for the redhead's expected reaction. She did, in fact, start screaming and jumping around the office like a madman. Alas, the poor Hatori could no longer concentrate on his paperwork and had to resolve to push the ecstatic woman out of his office.

The doctor sighed as the room was finally greeted with silence and slouched back against the comfort of his chair, "What have I just agreed to?" Hatori noticed from the corner of his eye the towel Akane had been using to dry her hair. He stretched his arm to claim the out-of-place item and placed it on the corner of his desk deftly.

_Slob._

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Akane had willfully exited the office door, skipping randomly around the huge winter wonderland gardens, ignoring the strange looks maids and other Sohmas were giving her. She sighed happily and rubbed her hands together before cupping them and exhaling loudly in order to provide a source of heat. She kicked the clumps of snow beneath her feet, observing her small footprints she had made with her flat boots.

The smiling redhead squeaked in surprise as she tripped over small figure sprawled out in the snow. She groaned as she face-planted the snow covered ground, coughing out a mouthful of snow once she had been able to sit up. Akane looked back at the small figure, and was surprised to see a mass of light brown fur.

_An animal? _She thought, crawling silently to where the animal was, staring at the curled up form. "Oh my god, is it dead?!" she exclaimed while poking the furry creature in the side. She screamed as the animal jumped up and started to…apologize?

"I'm SO SORRY!" the small animal screamed, jumping ten feet in the air at Akane's poke, "I DIDN'T MEAN TO DISTURB YOUR WALK! I'M SO SORRY FOR BLOCKING THE WAY!" the light brown monkey then started to run around the confused woman in circles, jets of tears flowing from its beady eyes.

"I'M SO SORRY WORLD FOR EXISITING!"

"Holy crap, it spoke!" Akane exclaimed, scooping the hyperventilating monkey in his hands, "Hey, hey, are you part of the Zodiac?" she asked excitedly, not paying any heed to the apologies the monkey screamed at her.

"Yes," the monkey replied, calming down a significant amount. "I am." Akane squealed in happiness before burying the shy monkey deeper into the confines of her coat.

"Why are you out here?" she questioned, looking around the area for the monkey's clothing, "Were you sleeping in the snow?" she thought aloud, making the monkey scream out more apologies hysterically.

"It's okay!" Akane laughed, wrapping the small animal in the kimono she had found lying near a snow-covered bushed, "I'm Akane Yoshikuni, and you are?" she asked politely, keeping the clothed monkey close to her chest.

"R-Ritsu," he stuttered out quietly, not being able to look up at the woman's deep gaze, "Ritsu Sohma." Akane nodded in understanding while walking in the direction to Hatori's house. "A-are you the one Akito-san told to stay here for a week?"

Akane nodded happily, tripping over a small rock in the path, "Yep, that's me." She pushed open the sliding door and was immediately grateful for the warmth the empty house greeted her. "Hatori's in his office and my brother is at his archery practice." She explained to the shivering monkey while placing his down on the couch. She exited the living room and entered the kitchen to make herself and Ritsu some hot chocolate, "So it's just you and me!" she shouted from the kitchen.

The still ecstatic woman brought out the two cups and placed the one for Ritsu in the table in front of him, "Go do that _'poof'_ thing and turn human, so you can drink your hot chocolate, okay?" she said kindly and left the room to call her boss, saying that she won't be able to go to work today. As she dialed the number of the office in her phone, she heard a soft 'poof' coming from the living room and smiled in excitement, wondering what the monkey of the zodiac looked like as a human.

After he third ring, Dai had finally answered the phone and spoke with a bored tone, "_Hello?" _

"Dai! It's Akane!" she spoke to the mouthpiece, eager to go downstairs and meet Ritsu –the human. "Tell the boss I can't make it to work today, I'm sick." she lied without missing a beat, impatiently tapping her foot for the woman on the other end of the line to answer.

"_Yeah, right,"_ Dai replied, an unbelieving tone lacing every word, _"I'll tell him, no worries." _Akane smiled at Dai's dismissal of her lie and gave her thanks.

"Thanks, Dai!"

_Click._

The phone call ended abruptly with the push of a button as Akane ran out of her room and down the stairs, eager to see the monkey in 'her' kimono. "Ritsu-chan!" she called out as she reached the bottom of the stairs and into the living room. She smiled in delight as she saw the monkey in the light orange kimono, light brown hair flowing down to mid-back. "You're so pretty, Ritsu-chan!"

"N-No, not really…" Ritsu replied, looking down at the floor while fiddling with his hands. Akane shook her head and placed a hand on Ritsu's shoulder. She twitched slightly as she noticed how much taller than Akane the quiet boy was, but shook its off and assured Ritsu of 'her' beauty.

"Don't say that," she scolded teasingly, poking Ritsu in the nose. She narrowed her eyes as she studied the monkey's body, her eyes trailing over Ritsu's petite face, lithe figure and long legs. Though everything screamed femininity, she asked the monkey bluntly with a calculating look, "Are you a boy?"

"YES!" Ritsu cried out his reply, running around the room in a frenzied panic, "I'M SO SORRY!" he screamed while latching onto the shocked woman's shoulders, shaking her back and forth with, surprisingly, brute strength. Akane laughed nervously at Ritsu's exclamation and patted his hands softly. _He's sorry for being a boy? _She sighed inwardly and gripped the crying man's hands.

"It's okay, Ritsu-chan." Akane stated firmly, her hold on his hands tightening, "You don't have to be sorry for everything, you know." She said with a smile, letting go of Ritsu's clammy hands. She shook her head when he opened his mouth to protest, or maybe shout out more apologies, and poked him in his side. "Don't argue."

Ritsu nodded in defeat and plopped down on the couch. Akane giggled at the monkey's reaction and took a seat beside him, retrieving her mug of hot chocolate from the table. The two sat in silence, Akane occasionally blowing the steam rising from the hot liquid, and shooting Ritsu side glances.

"Hey, Ritsu," she tried to start a conversation, placing her mug back down on the table and facing the man in question, "Are you in college right now?" she asked, truly wanting to know more about Ritsu. His low self-esteem and shyness had been a fuel to Akane's curiosity, and she was determined to be able to call him a friend.

"Yes." Ritsu answered with a sweet smile, "I'm a junior right now."

"You're graduating soon," Akane thought aloud, placing a finger on her chin, "I wonder what I could get you as a congratulatory present…" she winked at the monkey teasingly, laughing at his flushed expression. Akane stared at Ritsu's head for a while, resisting the temptation to play with his long hair. Ritsu noticed her scrutinizing gaze and questioned her about it.

"Is something wrong, Akane-san?" Akane shook her head, biting her lower lip in an attempt to stop the question from popping out. "Are you sure? Do you need some water?"

"Can I play with your hair?" Ritsu blinked slowly, taken aback at the suddenness of the question. Akane mentally pinched herself, apologizing to the effeminate boy for her forwardness, "I'm sorry, it's just that you have such nice hair, can I braid it?" Ritsu nodded slowly, not knowing what to say at the woman's random inquiry.

"Sure." he said softly, adjusting his position in the couch to allow Akane better access to his long locks. She pulled out a ponytail from her pocket and held it in between her lips, as she combed her fingers through the light brown strands. She glowed with jealousy when none of them got caught in a single knot –not one! "How do you keep your hair so healthy, Ritsu-chan?" she asked, her enviousness becoming evident in her low tone.

"It's not really that nice," he declined modestly, tugging on a stray strand softly. "You have prettier hair, Akane-san." Ritsu insisted, another deep blush rising in his neck and spreading over his pale cheeks.

"This red demons?" she snorted in an unladylike manner, her speech slurred by the elastic band in between her lips. She blew slightly on a lock of red hair hanging in front of her eyes, "I wish I had your hair." Akane complained with a sigh while separating Ritsu's hair into three portions, "Ritsu-chan, come to my birthday on Saturday, okay?" she asked the monkey, resting her chin over his shoulder.

"O-oh, no," Ritsu stuttered out excuses, and somehow, finding a way to apologize for 'something he had done', "I don't want to be a bother and disturb you on your birthday." Akane's immediate reaction was to pout softly, her large eyes widening even more for the puppy-dog effect.

"B-but, why?" Akane sniffed as a few tears fell from her eyes, "Do you not like me?" More tears fell from Akane's shut eyes, a few sobs escaping her lips and sometimes a sniff is timed here and there.

"N-N-N-NO! PLEASE, I'M SORRY TO HAVE UPSET YOU!" And thus, Ritsu's rant had started, "I'LL GO TO YOUR BIRTHDAY! I'M SO SORRY TO HAVE UPSET YOU! I'LL GO!"

"Promise?" Akane asked sweetly, all traces of tears disappearing from her pale face. When Ritsu nodded an affirmative, the redhead clapped her hands happily and held out her pinky finger, "Pinky promise?" Ritsu held out his own pink, bringing it closer to Akane's hesitantly. She hooked her finger around Ritsu, and tugged on it tightly, sealing the two's agreement.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"I'm home." Ruo called out as he entered the door, kicking off his shoes and heading over to the kitchen, "Kane-chan?" he said, raising his voice when he heard no answer. He frowned in confusion while pouring himself a glass of water. _Isn't she home yet?_ The older Yoshikuni asked himself and placed the cup back down on the counter, its contact making creating a soft _'clink'. _

Ruo ascended the stairs slowly, his light footsteps making no unwanted sounds. As he reached the top of the stairs, he noticed the low voices coming from inside his sister's room. Though he couldn't make out exactly who the voices belonged to, he could tell that Akane wasn't alone.

_Eh? A boyfriend perhaps? _Ruo snickered cynically to himself, already thinking up of several insults he could throw at his sister –if ever they were caught doing something…inappropriate. He pinched his cheeks lightly, and pushed down his eyebrows, accomplishing the perfect, 'gasp-what-have-I-caught-my-little-sister-doing-with-her-boyfriend' look.

"Oh, Kane-chan!" he shouted dramatically, forcefully pulling open the door, "What are you up to-" Ruo was caught off guard as he notice, no boy, no scattered clothes, and no compromising position. In fact, all he saw were two girls, leaning over a photo album and giggling. "Oh, it's just a girl." he muttered with a quiet voice while sighing disappointedly, a dejected look appearing on his face.

"What are you up to?" he asked the giggling girls, joining them on the soft bed. "Is that your photo album Akane?" Ruo looked over the two's shoulders and noticed the familiar pink and brown striped book. As he observed the pictures currently displayed on the page, he saw one of the many pictures he took of Akane during her high school years.

"Oh, I remember that!" he exclaimed, his eyes following one of the larger pictures. It showed Akane lying down on a bench, sleeping. Ruo remembered taking it after her school festival, explaining Akane's wardrobe in the picture –her high school uniform. The three continued browsing through the thick album, laughing over the stories they told each other, not all noticing the skies turning dark.

This was the scene Hatori had walked into, later that night. Ritsu and Akane were hunched over the bed, looking at the small photo album laid open in front of them. Ruo sat behind them while looking over their shoulders, pointing out another picture pasted inside the album. All three were them were in hysterics while looking at one particular picture, the melodic ringing of Akane's laugh drawing the doctor's attention.

"What are you doing?" the doctor questioned the other three, peering over their shoulders in an attempt to view the small picture, "And what is Ritsu doing here?" he added as an afterthought, giving the monkey a pointed look. And of course, Ritsu being Ritsu, he jumped into immediate hysterics.

"I'M SO SORRY FOR COMING OVER UNANNOUNCED, HATORI-SAN!" he screamed, latching onto the stoic's man shoulders and shaking him back and forth like a rag doll. "I AM A DISGRACE TO THE SOHMA FAMILY, A BLEMISH ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH, A MONSTER TO HUMAN KIND, I'M SO SORRY!"

"Ritsu-chan!" Akane called from the bed, ignoring the boy's loud declarations of apologies, "Look at this picture!" Ritsu immediately let go of Hatori's wide shoulders and turned his attention back to Akane. Akane shot Hatori a smug look before showing Ritsu a different picture.

"This was during junior high, right Ruo?" the redhead asked, looking at her brother while pointing at the photograph in question. Ruo nodded while laughing loudly, beckoning the confused dragon to come over and look at it.

"I was holding the camera, about to take a picture of her," Ruo stuttered out in between fits of laughter, "But when I called her out her name, she leaned over the fountain she was looking at and fell in!" The three shared a rich laughing fit, Hatori providing them with a small chuckle. Akane glanced at the doctor, blinking in surprise at the scene of his smiling face.

"You find amusement in pain, Hatori-san?" she questioned him sharply, pretending to be offended at the amused look he was giving the picture, "And I thought you were a doctor, hmm?" Hatori smiled at her inquiry, turning in his step and faced the door, ready to leave the woman's room. Just as he closed the door behind him, he gave back his reply to Akane's question.

"Only if it is your pain, Akane-san." Akane stuck out her tongue just as the door shut, sighing at Hatori's teasing reply.

"I liked him better when he was grandpa-like."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Ka-chan!" Momiji exclaimed as Akane descended the stairs, Ruo and Ritsu in step behind her, "Where have you been, you were laughing and laughing and I wanted to go up to your room too! But Ha'ri said I couldn't and told me stay down here instead! I wanted to laugh with you too Ka-chan! Why couldn't I go to your room? Huh?" the bunny asked the surprised girl in one breath, his words reaching a thousand miles per hour.

Ruo snickered at the possible implications of Momiji's question, but immediately stood still with a serious face when Akane shot him a look that could definitely kill. Akane looked back at the pouting bunny and gave him a soft pat on the head, "It's nothing Momiji-chan, we were just looking through some of my old stuff." she explained, guiding him, Ruo and Ritsu to the kotatsu*.

"I'll go cook dinner, you guys wait here, okay?" Akane instructed while making her way to the kitchen, grabbing an apron hanging on one of the hooks, "Hey, Ritsu, do you like anything in particular?" she shouted from the kitchen, pots and pans clanking against the kitchen counter. "Some soba noodles are good this time of year, would you like that?" she suggested and peered through the upper cabinets, looking for suitable ingredients needed to make the said soba noodles

"Oh, no!" Ritsu exclaimed, waving his arms up and down in a frenzied panic, "Please don't worry about what I want, it doesn't really matter what I eat!" Ruo held out three of his fingers, curling them down one by one in a mental count down.

_3…2…1, and action!_

"I'M SO SORRY TO HAVE BOTHERED YOU, AKANE-SAN!"

"Ri-"

"I DON'T DESERVE TO BE IN THIS HOUSE!"

"No, wai-"

"I'M SO SORRY TO HAVE SPOLIED YOUR LOVELY DINNER WITH MY PRESCENCE!"

"Calm dow-"

"PLEASE FORGIVE ME!"

_Poink._

"Wow," Akane muttered, staring at the finger she had used to poke the loud monkey in his side. She blinked in awe and held the finger close to her heart, "It's magic." Ritsu collapsed into a crumpled heap near Akane's bare feet, a large dark cloud looming over his curled up figure.

"I'm so sorry." he muttered sadly, tears gathering and threatening to fall at the corner of his eyes, "Please forgive me." Akane giggled and tugged playfully on the monkey's braided hair.

"Soba noodles, okay?" she waited for no answer and reentered the kitchen door, ignoring the quiet apologies the monkey sobbed out. Momiji pulled at Ritsu's hand, forcing the older man to sit in between him and Ruo. The small boy gave a sweet smile to Ritsu and patted his back in a comforting manner.

"Stay here beside me and Ru-chan, okay?" he asked him with a cheery smile and a happy tone, "Ka-chan's cooking is great! I'm sure you'll like it!" From inside the kitchen, Akane smiled at Momiji's statement, the small compliment meaning a lot to the young woman. As she stirred in more of the soup's seasoning, she called out to the chattering boys inside the dining room.

"Could someone please call Hatori-san?" she asked loudly, arching her back in order to see them over the door's frame. "I'm kind of busy right now."

"I'll do it, Ka-chan!" Momiji replied, standing up from under the kotatsu. The bunny quickly ran up the stairs and into the doctor's room, calling him with his usual cheery tone.

"Ha'ri, Ka-chan said to come downstairs for dinner!" the man in question turned up from his work, looking at Momiji with glassy eyes. "Hurry up or we'll eat everything!" Momiji then ran out of the room before any arguments could be made. Hatori sighed and stood up from the table, not seeing any of his choices in the matter.

Momiji had easily run ahead of him, skipping two steps at a time while running down the steps. The two had taken their seats under the kotatsu and resumed waiting for Akane's cooking. A few minutes later, the exotic aroma of the soba noodles drifted into the dining room, causing its male inhabitants to stir with eagerness.

"I present to you," Akane started with a dramatic voice, bowing while placing the large tray with five smaller bowls in the middle of the table, "Akane's Soba Noodles." Ruo and Momiji quickly stated their thanks and each grabbed their own bowl and slurped at the hot noodles sighing as its delicious taste swam through their mouths. Hatori and Ritsu too slowly took a hold of their own bowls –but more politely of course.

Akane smiled at the men before her. She hadn't served this number of people in a long time; it was almost like having a new large family. Though she knew that the Sohma family didn't completely trust her, or her brother for that matter, she had decided a long time ago, that she liked them, curse or no curse. She liked being surrounded by the interesting Sohmas, and she couldn't wait to meet all of the Zodiac members.

Akane couldn't be denied a dream, and though she knew it was near impossible, she couldn't help but hoping it would stay that way.

_**End Chapter 8**_

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

*kotatsu- A table-like furniture that has a thick blanket protruding from the sides. You spread your legs under it during winter because of its super-heat-giving-power! :D

**A/N: **Hah, and there it is, as promised. I didn't like this chapter much. It was kind of rushed and confusing, so please tell me of any grammatical and spelling mistakes that I may have put in there. Review and subscribe please! :D


	9. Enjoying the Ice

**A/N: **Well, here is the first chapter of the month! I'm kinda glad I only posted this now! But since I actually promised this last May 25, I'll just go on with the thankiies and crap, :)

**Thanks To:**

**-my-forgotten-rose—**Hai! I promise to make more fluff scenes! XD I'm glad you liked it, thankiies for the review!

**-Valor—**SMILE, DARN YA, SMILE! Sorry, got that out of my system, :D I'm glad you found it funny! Thankiies!

**Cunnawabum- **Woo! Ritsu in real life! XP Nice, year of the monkey? Imma rat…squeaksqueak...teehee, thankiies so much!

**QueenThayet12990- **The Sohma is already a drama-filled family, imagine adding it up with the Yoshikuni's antics! XD Thankiies!

**GacktAddict1330- **Haha, I'm glad you like this OC story, sissy! XD I don't mind your constant changing of names, hahaha! I'm really happy you like this! :D Lurves ya!

**LookOutShe'sGotAPen- **I love Ritsu too! :D He's so adorable…and purdy! The relationship between Hatori and Akane is –background turns sparkly and flowery- blooming…XD Thankiies!

**disneytiger- **Kotatsus (is that the plural form…?-sweatdrop-) are almighty and powerful! Hail the KOTATSU! :)) Thankiies for the review!

**samiam212**- GYA! Gomen! –bows- I didn't thank you for your review in the last chappie! –bows- SOWWY! But anyways! Thankiies so much, I will keep writing, as long as you keep on reading and reviewing, ;)

**Kee-Chayne- **You CANNOT get your filthy hands on me PAHNDA! XP Ruo and Ritsu…together…-rubs chin- hmmm…Haha!

**- **Thankiies so much! Your review was really, really, sweet! I'm glad you liked this story, please drop another review on your way out, -bows- Thanks again!

**BlackBaka21- **Aww, I'm glad you enjoyed the story! Reviewing backwards? How cool! XP Thankiies sooooo much! –huggle-

**A Special Thanks To:**

**samiam212, , BlackBaka21 **and** -my-forgotten-rose- **for adding this story to their Favorites list! And also, another thanks to **–my-forgotten-rose-, Azali Syria **and for adding me to her Favorite Authors list! ANOTHER thanks to **, BlackBaka21, DanceScreamSing, Chaos086** and **iC H I B I** for adding this story to her Alerts! I greatly appreciate it! :D

Enjoy!

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

**Chapter 9: Enjoying the Ice**

"No."

"What?!" Akane exclaimed, her pale face flushing with anger. She slammed her hands down to Hatori's hard table, mentally screaming at the sharp sting she received from its impact, "What do you mean 'no'?!" she shouted back, her already high-pitched voice raising another octave.

"Ice skating is a waste of time." Hatori replied simply, ignoring the young woman's obvious rage. "And if you haven't noticed –which I'm sure is not that hard to accomplish due to that thick skull of yours, I don't have any time to waste." Akane sniffed at the insult, rubbing away a few stray tears.

"No need for the insults," she muttered, thumping her fist against her chest. Akane didn't give in though; she was determined to take the dragon on his first ice skating trip. "But never ice-skating, especial at your age, is…a _crime_!" she complained overdramatically, the frustrated expression never once leaving her face, "It will be fun! Five hours, that's all I need!"

And then, the bargaining started.

"One hour."

"Four and a half."

"Two hours."

"Four."

"Three hours, that's final." Hatori stated, offering his hand to finalize the suggestion.

Akane growled in irritation, but jabbed her hand out to the doctor's extended one. She reluctantly shook it, sealing the agreement of hours spent in the ice skating rink. Akane stared in distaste at the doctor's smug face, secretly coming up with plans to make their stay longer.

"Fine."

Ruo stood at the door watching in amusement as the two 'adults' planned the trip, shaking his head while sighing, "Young love…" Ruo took a few steps to where Hatori and Akane were bickering over who they should invite. His back was pressed up against the wall while humming out the 'Mission Impossible' theme song. He collapsed onto the floor and wormed his way –literally, in between the two doctors.

"Hey, maybe we should invite Tohru and the others," Ruo suggested cautiously while standing up from the floor and dusting off little specks of dirt. Akane and Hatori gave him a confused look, beckoning the older Yoshikuni to elaborate. "Y'know, instead of just Momiji and Haru, we could bring Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo."

Akane nodded excitedly, looking at the doctor for approval. When he nodded 'yes', she squealed with excitement and decided to try and push her luck, "How about Kisa and Ritsu?" she asked, looking at the aggravated man expectedly, "They can come too right?"

Hatori sighed at Akane's suggestion, already thinking about the outcome of the events. If Kisa would come, Hiro would definitely tag along. And since Yuki and Kyo are coming as well, not only will the two most likely fight, but Kyo would get into arguments with Haru. All of them –plus the ever apologizing Ritsu, is equal to definite headache.

"As long as you'll be the one to control them," he agreed reluctantly, pinching the bridge of his nose –a sign of the predicted headache. Akane cheered at his reply, giving him a hard pat on the shoulder.

"Good!" she then smirked mischievously, a thought entering her mind, a thought that was probably meant to get on the doctor's last nerve. "And what about Shigure and Ayame, can they come too?" Of course, the redhead truly had no intention on bringing them along, but Akane being Akane couldn't pass up the chance to see Hatori get even more annoyed, hence the invitation.

"No." Hatori said, forcing the words through gritted teeth. Akane giggled at his reaction while claiming a hold on Ruo's hand. She ran out of the door, dragging the poor Ruo along behind her. As she exited the open door, she peeped back inside and gave Hatori a teasing look.

"Should I go make the call?"

"GET OUT!"

The mellow laughter of the redhead was heard as the fuming doctor growled at the now empty door in front of him.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

_Ring…ring…ri-_

"_Hello?"_

"Ah, Shigure-san!" Akane said over the phone, her pointer finger twirling idly around its cord, "Is Tohru-chan there right now?" she asked, shifting her weight from the soles of her feet to her tip-toes.

"_Akane, is that you?" _

"Yep," she sighed out impatiently while leaning against the wall, crossing her legs in a lazy manner. "Anyway, are Tohru and the others there?" the redhead asked again, pressing the pestering dog for an answer.

"_I'm afraid not, I believe they're still at scho-" _the older man was interrupted with a loud bang of a door on the other line's background, enabling Akane to hear the house's commotion, along with several…familiar statements. Akane was surprised at the sharp voices she heard, reveling on the fact that she could hear them all the way from her phone.

"_You damn rat!"_

"_Will you be quiet, you stupid cat."_

"_That's it! I'm definitely going to beat you –right here, right now!"_

"_I'm pretty sure I've heard this before."_

_BANG!_

Akane winced at the loud crash she had heard over the phone, already imagining the frustrated face of Kyo and Yuki's most likely indifferent one. She sighed at the teenagers' antics while listening to the loud wails of the house's owner.

"_Yuki, Kyo! Please don't destroy my house!" _

The redhead twitched at the familiarity of the situation, not believing that she could actually get used to the Sohma's violent ways. She frowned as she suddenly heard a thump on the other line, wondering if she was momentarily forgotten by the writer. The distant voice of said man confirmed her suspicions, causing her to scoff in annoyance.

"Oi! Shigure! I'm still here!" she hollered out to the mouthpiece, demanding attention from the busy novelist. "You little-" Akane's rant of cussing was interrupted as she heard the phone lifted, signaling the presence of someone on the other side.

"_Hello?"_

"Tohru-chan!" Akane exclaimed, greatly relieved when hearing the girl's sweet voice, "Just the person I wanted to talk to!" she said excitedly, not bothering to tell the confused girl who she was.

"_Oh, umm, I'm sorry, who is this?" _Tohru stuttered out nervously, scared of offending whoever it was on the phone and slightly embarrassed about not being able to tell who Akane was.

"Sorry, sorry, got a little bit excited there." Akane snickered apologetically, "It's me, Akane."

"_Akane-san!" _the younger girl exclaimed, her surprise evidently shown from her tone of voice, _"I'm so sorry, I didn't recognize your voice!"_ Akane shook her head in mild amusement, expecting Tohru's reaction to be exactly that. She tucked the thin phone in between the crook of her neck and ear while crossing her arms over her chest.

"No worries, Tohru-chan." Akane assured her gently, sighing at the girl's timidity. "Ah," she snapped up, remembering the reason for her call, "Hey, Tohru-chan, are you free later this afternoon?"

"_I think so, may I ask why?"_

"Would you, Yuki and Kyo like to go ice skating with us?" Akane asked, amused at the girl's ever-polite demeanor.

"_Ice skating?" _Tohru repeated, her voice raising a pitch in excitement, _"Wow! That sounds great! I've never been ice skating before*!" _Akane sweat dropped at the girl's response; still unbelieving that so many people would willfully be clueless to the wonder that is ice-skating. Not like she was any good or anything, but who says you had to be good at ice skating just to enjoy?

That's right, no one.

"So you guys can come? Haru and Momiji are coming. So are Ritsu, Kisa, Hatori and my brother." Akane recited, listing down the names of those who were coming on her fingers. She waited patiently for the younger girl's reply.

"_Hold on please, I'll go ask Kyo and Yuki." _

"Oh, and Tohru-chan?" Akane called out quickly in attempt to catch the girl's attention before she left.

"_Yes, Akane-san?" _Akane sighed in relief when she heard Tohru's voice and replied quickly. "Don't tell Shigure about this, okay? Hatori doesn't want him to come. Promise?"

"_Right, promise!" _Akane smiled at her innocence and held the phone loosely in between her fingers, whistling slightly as she waited for Tohru to come back. A few seconds later, the perky teenager's voice could be heard once again through the other line.

"_They said they would come!" _Tohru said happily, unknown to her that the redhead already suspected approval to be the probable answer of the boys. Knowing them, Akane had an inkling they would agree to go ice skating. Tohru's excitement and their crushes on her being a given fact, she had no doubt they would agree.

"That's great Tohru," she replied, "So we'll pick you up at…" Akane paused briefly, sneaking a glance at digital wall clock nearest to the telephone. When she saw the large numbers blinking out _3:30**, _she continued with her instructions, "Maybe around four o'clock, okay?"

"_Okay, Akane-san! See you soon!"_

"It's 'Akane-chan', okay?" Akane scolded lightly with a teasing tone. She giggled as Tohru stuttered out an embarrassed reply.

"_O-o-okay, Akane-chan…"_

"Good girl! Well, anyway, see you later Tohru-chan!"

"_Bye!"_

_Click._

Akane smiled excitedly as the conversation ended and placed the phone back down to its receiver. The redhead skipped happily to her room, humming a happy tune as she did so. She suddenly let out a squeak of surprise when she felt her head collided with a hard surface, making her fall back down to the ground. Akane squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for her body to make impact with the floor. It surprisingly didn't come though, as Akane felt two long arms wrap around her thin waste.

She opened her eyes in shock while meeting the hard olive gaze of none other than Hatori. They stared at each other for a split second before they both became enveloped in a thick wad of smoke.

"H-Hatori-san!" Akane exclaimed as the arms around her waist vanished causing her to fall the wooden floor –hard. The young woman winced as her head connected with the flat surface, forgetting for a moment the presence of the seahorse on her stomach. "It…hurts…" she muttered out, hoisting her body up with her arms.

Akane placed a head delicately on her head, sucking in a breath when feeling a bump. She felt something roll down from her stomach and into the crook of her skirt, its soft complaints muffled by the thin fabric. She stared incredulously at the small animal before picking it up and running to the nearest bathroom.

"Of all the people I could run into," she muttered angrily, holding the quiet seahorse in between her pointer and thumb, "It just _had_ to be the one that will turn into a seahorse!" Akane exclaimed sarcastically, ignoring the scoff Hatori gave.

"Of all the people I could run into," Hatori countered in between wheezes, his deep voice clashing greatly with his…small body, greatly amusing the redhead, "It just had to be the insane one, didn't it?" Akane said nothing in reply; a small smirk appearing on her tight, pursed lips. She quickly entered the bathroom door and switched on the lights, opening the toilet's seat, flushing it as she did so.

"Keep it up and it's the toilet for you." she threatened the doctor with an evil smile, holding his small form high above the swirling water. Hatori stared –well, if a seahorse could stare, at her and replied angrily.

"You are crazy."

Akane gave a light-hearted shrug and placed him in the sink, turning on the faucet which instantly filled the deep crevice with cool water, "I try."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Hi there, Tohru-chan!"

The Yoshikuni siblings, Hatori, Momiji, Haru and Ritsu stood outside of Shigure's home, all clad in winter coats and scarves and excited smiles plastered on their faces, except maybe for Hatori. Unfortunately, Kisa wasn't allowed to go when her mother learned that it was Akane who had 'kidnapped' her from school. Said woman was in front of the group, having been the one to ring on the doorbell, Tohru being the one answering it. The latter's excitement was evidently shown on her face, though the two boys behind her may have been a different story.

"Why do we have to do something as stupid ice skating?!" Kyo shouted angrily, his hands buried deep beneath his pants pockets. His fiery red hair bristled with annoyance, his red eyes screaming defiance. Everyone knew the only reason he went was because Tohru was going, but that didn't mean he would be quiet about it.

"Because Tohru's coming, we all knew that!" Momiji replied bluntly, a cheery smile appearing on his youthful face. The blonde then started dancing around the cat, crying out chants of, 'Kyo's got the hots for Tohru!', which successfully drove said teenager to violence.

"Shut up, you damn rabbit!" Kyo shouted, bringing his curled fist down to the smaller boy's head, resulting in loud wails of hurt. Hatori felt an eye twitch at the noise, hoping that all the ruckus wouldn't attract a certain do-

"Who was at the door, Tohru-kun?"

_Oh, shit._

"Ah, Ha'ri and the others, what are you guys doing here?" The dramatic voice of Shigure rang out in the scene as he leaned back against the door frame, his arms hidden by the long sleeves of his olive green yukata. Akane cursed mentally at his presence and made a mental note to hit Kyo for drawing out the dog with his exclamations.

"None of your business, Shigure." Hatori replied monotonously, sending Ruo –and maybe even Yuki, silent pleas of help. Ruo laughed jovially at the doctor's uncharacteristic action, but still approached him to offer his assistance. Akane smiled at everyone before her; Tohru, Momiji and Ritsu were all playing with a random potted plant, Yuki, Kyo and Haru were bickering over who would win in the next fight, making Akane sigh at the regularity of said situation, Hatori and Ruo both stood at the door, both stating reasons, harsh reasons, to Shigure, drawing out the man's water works.

Akane felt a sweat drop slide down the side of her head at the sight, but reveled in the marvelous family she had encountered. She felt a giggle escape her lips while pushing everyone out of the doorway, saying that it would be best if they left early. Shigure's tears fell harder as their silhouettes faded against the setting sun, and with a shout of 'inviting Ayame for some 'fun'', they group disappeared unceremoniously around the corner.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Shigure…" Akane said, an amused smile finding its way to her lips, "Is quite the character isn't he?" she asked the quiet doctor while placing a foot on the edge of the bench, the other one hanging off childishly in order to lace up her red skates. The group had arrived a few minutes before, and while the younger teenagers sprinted to the shoe rental in excitement, the adults felt it was their responsibility to act more maturely, much to Akane's distaste.

"He's different, I could tell you that." Hatori replied with a sigh, his height increasing greatly, thanks to the skates' blades. Akane twitched at the towering form of Hatori, feeling insulted at her much more diminutive height compared to his.

Akane glanced at the boring shade of Hatori's skates, a typical black. She sighed and shook her head while tugging at one her skates' laces, forcing it to crisscross with the other one, "Why is it you pick boring colors?" she asked, giving the man a pointed look. Hatori's eyes briefly met with hers before answering.

"I'm already doing something as degrading as ice skating," he said while skimming his eyes over the rink, a small smile crossing his lips when he spotted Ruo helping the struggling Ritsu stay upright, "Might as well save any pride I have left." Akane giggled and slapped Hatori hardly on the back, something she had been doing for quite some time now.

"Always the pessimist." she sighed patronizingly, causing Hatori to raise a dark eyebrow. Akane waved off the questioning glance and turned her attention back to the un-cooperating laces. "Come on, dammit!" Hatori sighed at her immaturity and kneeled down in front of her. He shooed away Akane's fumbling fingers and replaced them with his own.

He pulled on each of the strings one by one, and Akane slowly saw the formation of a neat crisscross pattern. She stared in amazement as the doctor finished it off with a knot, and let her foot fall from the bench to the rubber mats covering the floor. Hatori chuckled slightly at her reaction and offered a gloved hand to the young woman.

"Always the gentleman." Akane stated, contradicting herself on her earlier statement. She took the doctor's hands in her own and stood up from the metal bench. As they both made their way to the entrance of the ice skating rink, Akane felt it necessary to consult Hatori on something, "So it's the laces _before _the sticky thing?"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

_Bang!_

For what seemed the millionth time in less than a minute, Akane fell down face first to the cold, hard ice. She heard the rush of air and ice beside her, indicating the stop and presence of another person.

"I thought this wasn't your first time skating?" the deep voice of Hatori was heard above Akane's crouched figure. She snapped her head up to meet his smug gaze, a scowl gracing its way to her flustered face.

"I thought this was _your_ first time ice skating?" she countered angrily while struggling to get up from the ice, a hand flying to her backside to rub it gently. Hatori helped her get up while smiling lightly.

"I'm a fast learner." he replied flatly, reverting back to his old self. Akane said nothing but a quick scoff, pulling her hand from his hardly as soon as she could stand up right. With a turn of her nose, she glided a foot forward…

_Bang!_

…only to fall back down.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Tohru held on the rink's railing for dear life as Yuki coaxed her into taking his hand. Kyo stood near-by, throwing looks of annoyance and a loud complain here and there. Momiji and Haru skated in front of them, the ox gliding effortlessly with a blank look while the hyper blonde did an assortment of kicks and turns, amazing Tohru greatly.

"Come on, Ms. Honda." Yuki chided the young girl lightly, trying to pry her hands off of the blue safety rails, "I hold your hand, so you won't fall, okay?" Tohru looked at Yuki shyly, before taking his hand and releasing the rails. She slowly stood up straight and eventually was able to let go of the Prince's hand with a few kind words of encouragement.

Tohru's face shone with happiness as she took her first few glides, a few slips here and there, but nothing too tragic. Kyo allowed a ghost of a smile to appear as he watched the bubbly girl skate, mentally thanking Akane for the idea –but it's not like he'll say anything out loud, of course. But still, the gratitude was there, and it was shown clearly on the cat's face as he watched the timid girl skate.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"This is fun!" Ruo exclaimed while skating backwards, not at all minding the effeminate monkey's surprisingly strong grip on both his hands, "Right, Ritsu-chan?" Ritsu's only reply was a wail of fear as he nearly slipped and fell over the ice.

"I'M SO SORRY, RUO-SAN!" Ritsu wailed as he clung onto the older man. Ruo winced at Ritsu's piercing scream and patted the soft nest of hair comfortingly.

_Wait._

The older Yoshikuni stared in surprise when no transformation occurred, Ritsu's…humanness registering in the Ruo's mind, "Ritsu-chan?"

"Yes, Ruo-san?" he said timidly, wiping a few escaped tears from his eyes. The monkey's light brown hair was tied in an elegant bow that rested at the nape of his neck, his usual light orange kimono replaced with a dark blue one, previously eliciting a few happy squeals from Akane.

"You are a member of the Zodiac, right?" he asked, helping the blushing Ritsu into a standing position.

"Yes, Ruo-san."

"Oh."

…

"I'M SO SORRY FOR NOT TELLING YOU I'M A BOY, RUO-SAN***!"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Hey, Haru!" Momiji exclaimed while finishing a rather fast paced turn about the rink, "It was a good idea to go ice skating, right?" he asked happily while skating alongside his quiet friend. The ox glided over the smooth ice, a small smile crossing his parted lips, his hot breath escaping silently. Haru tugged lightly at the cow printed scarf he was wearing –a gift Shigure found quite amusing to give the high school student.

"It was nice of Akane-san to bring us along." he replied while taking longer strides in an attempt to catch up to the energetic bunny. "You're right, it is a good idea."

"Do you think Tohru-chan and the others are having fun?" Momiji asked, his arms braced in front of him, making it collide with the railings just as he stopped in front of the protective wall. He glanced back to where both Kyo and Yuki were holding onto one of Tohru's hands and guided her across the rink. Momiji giggled at the side and pointed it out to Haru, "I think Yuki and Kyo are _really_ enjoying themselves!"

Haru chuckled as he observed the trio, noting the obvious liking the two enemies had for the small girl in between them. His eyes trailed over the rink and stopped just as he spotted Akane being helped up from the ice by Hatori. He gaped at the young woman as he saw a line of blood trickle down from her forehead and knee.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Be more careful, honestly." Hatori sighed out as he helped the redhead up from the ice, her having fallen down, again_. _

"It's not my fault the ice is so slippery!" she shouted angrily, digging her skates' blades into the ice, causing her to slip and fall. _Again._ Hatori sweat dropped at her clumsiness and as she stood up straight again, he poked her in the forehead slightly, the stinging sensation indicating the presence of a wound.

"It's bleeding." he said simply, showing her the spot of blood smeared across his long finger. Akane gasped in shock and held a hand to her head –the wetness she felt confirming Hatori's previous statement. "Holy crap, holy crap, it's bleeding!" Akane wailed loudly in panic as she drew back her hand and saw the dark, thick liquid on her palm.

"I'm going to die!" Akane cried out dramatically, only to be interrupted by a monotone voice, "You aren't going to die, Akane-san." Both Hatori and Akane snapped their heads to the side as Haru and Momiji approached them. Akane sighed lightly as she stared at the blood on her hand in disgust, gagging slightly at the metallic smell.

"Where's first-aid?" Hatori asked Haru softly, as Momiji skated over to where Akane was sitting and helped her stand up from the ice. Haru pointed over to the receptionists' area before approaching Akane and Momiji. He helped pull her up by the hands and nodded when the young woman gave a smile of thanks. "I'll go ahead." Hatori called out as he skated towards the rink's exit. Haru, Momiji and Akane slowly followed, wary of the small cut Akane had on her knee.

"Sorry 'bout this, you guys." Akane chuckled lightly, wincing as the raw flesh stung with every careful glide she took, "I suppose it was just me being me." Both teenagers laughed loudly in amazement at the fact that she was able to mock herself at a time like that.

"It's alright, Ka-chan!" Momiji assured her happily while tugging on her arm, "You should just be more careful, it might not just be a scratch next time." Haru reprimanded the older woman with a frown. Akane placed a hand on the nape of her neck, rubbing it slightly with a sheepish smile.

"Yes, sir."

"Ah, Akane-chan!" a sweet voice called out from the side. The three jerked their head at the direction it came from and each gave a small smile as Tohru glided awkwardly towards them, Kyo and Yuki following a little farther behind. "Are you alright? You're bleeding!" she exclaimed worriedly, examining the line of red dripping from her forehead.

"It's just a scratch, Tohru-chan," Akane waved it off with a lazy hand and kind smile, "Nothing to be worried about." When Tohru didn't look convinced, Akane snuck a peak at Kyo and Yuki. She almost snorted at their love-sick-lost-puppy-in-love expression, and leaned over to whisper to Tohru, "Just go skate with Yuki and Kyo, if I steal too much of your attention they might kill me."

Tohru felt the deep blush rise to her face as she tried to stutter out her expected modest denial, Akane interrupted with a wave though as she shouted a cheery, "Later!", and continued the trek to the exit. Momiji waved happily as well as he tugged on Akane's harm harder, while Haru just gave a stiff flip of the hand.

Akane exhaled in relief as they had finally reached the ring's exit, the blades making dull thumping noises against the rubber mats. She spotted the tall doctor sitting on a bench in front of the receptionists' desk, an arm draped lazily over the bench's edge. Akane –with the help of Haru and Momiji, plopped down to the seat beside him and offered a thankful grin.

"Got the first aid kit?"

"They're getting it now." he replied, jerking his head in the direction of the counter in front of him. Akane nodded in understanding and looked back at the two teenagers, "You two can go back to the ice, I'm pretty sure this will just take a second." Momiji nodded with the same cheerful smile on his face and bounded back to the skating rink. Haru spared a cautious glance at the smiling redhead before following the bunny.

"Excuse me," Akane looked up as she heard the shy and timid voice, only to meet the face of a blushing woman –maybe a few years older than herself. It only occurred to her then that she wasn't looking at her, per se, but the person beside her, Hatori. "Here's the first-aid kit you asked for, sir." Akane almost gagged at the sugary-sweetness of her tone, an obvious tactic to get the handsome doctor to notice her.

"Thank you, miss." Hatori replied stiffly as he took the white box from her hands, ignoring the woman's advances and especially the deliberate twitch of her finger as it rubbed against his own. She giggled flirtatiously at his reply and bowed slightly, "Please, don't be afraid to ask me for anything else. Have a good day sir!" Now this is when Akane felt it necessary to gag, an unladylike snort escaped her as she brought a hand up to her mouth in attempts to stifle the waves of laughter threatening to overcome the redhead's self-control.

The woman glared at Akane hardly, and Akane could have sworn that her nostrils flared ever so slightly. Akane gave the woman a fake smile and curled her fingers in a threatening wave, "Bye bye, now." The older woman scoffed at Akane as she turned in her heels and stomped back to the receptionists' desk. Akane sighed at what had just taken place, only to look back at the clueless doctor surfing through the kit in search for a bandage.

"You really have no idea what effect you have on women, do you?" Hatori looked up at the question and raised a curious eyebrow as he glanced at Akane's amused expression.

"And what makes you say that?" he asked with the same flat tone while drawing out from the box a band-aid and a small bottle of disinfectant.

Akane stared shell-shocked at his reply and exclaimed angrily, "That lady practically threw fire at me!" She threw her hands in emphasis as she explained what had been the woman's reaction, "I swear, and her nostrils were flaring like mad! I was like, 'Watch out, it's Godzilla!'" she sighed loudly and shook her head, messing up even more her tussled hair. "Scary." Akane finished with a definite and firm nod.

"You exaggerate." Hatori replied amusedly with a laugh, dabbing a cotton ball on the bottle's small opening, "I doubt that was what she really looked like." Akane laughed loudly and patted his hand softly, "If only you knew, Hatori-san." The doctor found it pointless to argue and proceeded to place the cotton ball on Akane's forehead, adding slight pressure to it little by little.

She sucked in a breath at the contact, the cold liquid making her wound sting ever so slightly, but made no other sound of protest. Just as the cotton ball was removed from her skin, it was replaced with a beige-colored band-aid, "You know, I could do it myself. I'm technically a doctor too."

"Yes, but knowing you, you would probably end up hurting yourself even more." Hatori said with a small smile, placing the used cotton ball and wrappers in a near-by trashcan. Akane twitched in annoyance but laughed at the possibility of the statement.

"I guess so."

"Do you have any more cuts?" Hatori asked, brandishing a new cotton ball and band-aid from the small, white box.

"Yeah," she muttered, pointing down to her right knee exposed by her short pants, "My knee." Hatori nodded mutely and stood from the bench, crouching down in front of her. He moved to dab the small cotton ball to the thin cut located just below Akane's kneecap, successfully disinfecting the small cut. Just as Hatori was about to place the same beige-colored band-aid over the wound, he was stopped by a tap on the shoulder from Akane. He looked up with a questioning gaze when Akane rummaged through the kit. What she was looking for, he had no idea.

"Here," Akane exclaimed, pulling out another band-aid, only this one was spotted with pink and yellow polka-dots, "I want this one." Hatori rolled her eyes at the bandage of her choice, but took it from her and placed it over the cut. Akane smiled and stood up from the bench, "Thank you, Hatori-san." Akane felt a pair of eyes glaring a hole through her head, and when she turned around, she was surprised to see the woman from before glaring daggers at her. She smirked slightly and took a firm hold on the handsome doctor's arm –purposely showing their linked hands to the woman.

"Let's get skating!"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The three hours passed swiftly, saddening Akane greatly when Hatori announced it was time to go. When a promise of hot chocolate was made though, she happily returned her pair of skates, which were the only ones left due, and exited the rink. And that's where they were all now, in a quiet café across the ice skating rink, Momiji, Haru, Ritsu, Tohru and Akane sipping contentedly on their mugs of hot chocolate, while Ruo, Kyo, Yuki and, of course, Hatori drank on their coffee silently. Akane turned to give her brother a curious look, wondering why he wasn't his usual noisy self.

"Nii-chan?" she called out softly, prodding her finger on her brother's face that sported a questionable empty look, "What's up with you?" Ritsu stiffened at the inquiry but lifted a hand timidly in guilt.

"It was my fault, Akane-chan," he muttered sadly, unshed tears brimming on the corner of his eyes, "I didn't tell him I was a boy, and he found out." Akane nodded and started patting her brother slightly on the back.

"You hit on Ritsu, didn't you?" she shook her head knowingly, sighing at her brother's misinterpretation, "Hey, Ritsu it isn't your fault, so don't start apologizing, okay?" Akane stated with a teasing frown, directing a small smile in Ritsu's direction, "Ruo was just being an idiot." she laughed lightly, digging a fist to her brother's unruly hair. A few of Ritsu's tears fell from his shut eyes, which made Tohru run over to his side and lay a comforting hand to his shoulder.

"Are you okay, Ritsu?" Tohru asked softly, as Ritsu choked silently on his tears.

"He'll be fine, dammit!" Kyo interrupted, placing his mug roughly on the table's flat surface, making its contents spill lightly. Yuki scoffed at his loud voice and muttered, "Don't shout in a public place, you stupid cat." Kyo stood up from the table and held a fist in front of the purple-haired boy's face.

"What'd you say, Princey?!"

"Kyo, stop it. You're causing a commotion." Hatori said, sipping nonchalantly on his coffee. Kyo bristled at the man's flat voice but sat down, nevertheless. Akane giggled lightly on the thought, thinking that maybe a part of Kyo was frightened by the doctor. Shrugging mentally, she dismissed the thought with a smile.

"I suppose we should go, Hatori-san." Akane poked the doctor's arm lightly, and when he turned his face to meet her own, she placed a hand to cover her mouth from people's view and pointed to the side, "People are staring." Hatori subtly turned his neck a degree, and indeed, people were giving their table strange looks, and maybe a few in admiration of the men's looks. Akane shuddered at the thought and memory of the receptionist in the ice skating rink.

"Aww!" Momiji exclaimed sadly, a pout reaching his lower lips, "I wanted to stay a bit longer!" Haru's hand landed deftly on Momiji's hair and patted it softly with an amused smile.

"We still have school tomorrow, Momiji." he reminded the 'ready-to-have-a-tantrum' bunny with a pointed look. Akane shot up in surprise at Haru's statement and looked up at the teenagers.

"Oh, that's right, tomorrow is still Friday…" she said, mostly to herself and stood up from the table, "That confirms it. We better get you guys home now." Momiji nodded sadly and downed the rest of his hot chocolate –by which, at that time, had turned lukewarm. The others did the same and after a few trips to the restroom, they had exited the café as a group of happy customers.

"That was really fun!" Tohru exclaimed happily, her mitten-covered hands linked with Akane's and Momiji's. The two nodded in agreement and laughed loudly, their voices echoing through the empty sidewalks. Kyo, Yuki and Haru walked a small distance away from the three, the older teenagers smiling gently at Tohru's enthusiasm. Hatori and Ritsu walked behind the three boys, enveloped in an awkward and pregnant silence. Ruo lagged behind all of them, the dark cloud still looming over his slouched figure.

A few minutes had passed and only the Yoshikuni's, Hatori, Momiji, Haru and Ritsu were left, having dropped off the other three a while back. Momiji and Haru were having an animated conversation with Akane concerning school the next day, homework to be done, and other small talk topics, leaving Ruo to Hatori's devices. The doctor slowed down his pace, allowing Ruo to fall in-step with him. "Ruo-san, may I ask you a question?"

"Hn," he mumbled halfheartedly in reply. Hatori scoffed lightly at the older man, but voiced out his question all the same.

"Did something happen to Akane-san? Particularly during…" he trailed off in slight hesitation, eyeing the trio in front of him warily, "…spring?" Ruo visibly recoiled at the question, dampening his put down mood. His once blank face turned into one of confusion, surprise and amazingly, hurt.

"W-why do you ask, Hatori-san?" Hatori's eyes narrowed at Ruo's stutter, his sudden nervousness confirming his suspicions.

"Akane-san and I had a talk, and it somehow got to the topic of spring." Ruo nodded in understanding, a soft, serene but evidently sad smile appearing on his face. When he did not move to answer the question, Hatori pressed him further for details.

"Could you tell me what happened, Ruo-san?" Ruo stayed silent before sighing exasperatedly, as if knowing that he couldn't avoid the touchy subject any longer.

"It was a death of a friend."

_**End Chapter 9**_

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

*- Since I haven't finished the manga yet, I don't know if there's a scene where they go ice skating. If there is, let's just pretend they didn't, okiie? :D

**- It's a digital clock (duh), not a hand-clock, soo…since I'm the author I say Hatori has one in his house, :)) Got it? XD

***- If you read the pervious chapter, it mentions Ruo referring to Ritsu as a girl, this is the only time he find out about it.

**A/N: **And there! It's finished! Finally! Woohoo! Haha, so anyways, sorry again for the update's delay, but at least this chappie is long, right? Oh, and just to clear things up, I was kind of in a hurry to post this, so please inform me of any spelling and grammatical errors! XD Review and subscribe please! Byiie!


	10. Partying the Yoshikuni Style

**A/N: **Okay, I was supposed to take a break, but then I remembered I promised up to chapter 15 before June 15, so I rushed over to the computer and started typing, :) To the thankiies!

**Thanks To:**

**Kimmytrainer- **Well, I already explained the reason for Hatori's OOC-ness, so all I have to do is give you another big thanks! THANIIES! :)

**ValueMyHeart- **I'm glad I've gained another reader, so thank you for taking the time to read and review, my dear! :D Thanks so much!

**BlackBaka21- **Woah! I made a cliffy without even realizing it! XD Haha, I've always wanted to make one, well now I did! I'm glad I have a kind reviewer such as yourself, :D Your reviews always help me out, so thanks a bunch!

**disneytiger- **Aww, love-hate relationship with ice-skating? I do to! :D And apparently, so does Akane…thankiies for the review!

**LookOutShe'sGotAPen- **Yay! LOSGAP loved it! Woohoo! Anyways, hope you enjoy this chapter too, dearie! Thankiies! :)

**-Valor—**Ah, my dear, dear, Valor! I know! Ruo and Ritsu would have been a perfect lovey-dovey team! Too bad he already has a future love interest…whoops, there's a spoiler for you guys, :)

**GacktAddict1330- **Sissy! It's good you liked it! Thankiies so much for the review! Luurve you! XD

**A Special Thanks To:**

**Kimmytrainer, ValueMyHeart **and** xxOhDearxx **for adding this story to their Favorites list; **Kimmytrainer **and** BlackBaka21 **adding yours truly to their Favorite Authors list; **ValueMyHeart, The Gray Rook and SugarLandBabyGirl **(nice penname, by the way! XD) for adding this story to their Alerts; and finally, last but not the least, **BlackBaka21** (again, :P Though I'm not complaining, are you?) for adding me to their Author Alerts! I love you guys so much! Thankiies a bundle!

Enjoy!

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

**Chapter 10: Partying the Yoshikuni Style**

Finally, in what had seemed for forever, the week has ended and so has the stay of the Yoshikuni siblings in the Sohma Main House. What a dilemma though, if it was one thing the siblings learned, Hatori Sohma was not a party-planning type of man. An hour of suggesting random ideas for said party and receiving nothing more than an incoherent mumble for each suggestion would have proved it to any normal person, but remained impassive with Ruo.

"What about a cake?" Ruo asked, crossing out 'Pin the Tail on the Seahorse' off the small notebook resting on the palm of his hand. He looked up expectantly at the nonchalant doctor, his hand resting on a jutted hip with a yellow pen secured between his long fingers. The words, _'Plans for Kane-chan's Super Duper Surprise Birthday Party' _were written in large, scratchy letters at the top of the page, followed by small notes Ruo had written earlier.

"Hn," Hatori replied, idly pushing his glasses back up to bridge of his nose, eyes travelling over one piece of paper to another. Ruo nodded, clueless to Hatori's non-cooperation. Oh, woe is Hatori, why must he be the victim of the older Yoshikuni's antics? Why?

"I was thinking a chocolate cake might suit Kane-chan, or maybe even vanilla…" Hatori blocked out the man's loud voice with a turn of the head as he leaned back against his leather office chair. The sun's glaring light shone through the open window, announcing the arrival of near-dusk, as well as the other Yoshikuni's arrival. Hatori sighed lightly, mulling over Ruo's answer the other night, if he could call it an answer, it was more of a riddle all in its own.

_The death of a friend…the death…of a friend… Whose friend was it? How and when did it happen? _Hatori had so many unanswered questions; it would surprise any of his own acquaintances the interest he had in the speculation. So many questions left wandering at the back of the man's mind. It was driving him on edge and he didn't like it.

Ruo had been scarce on information that night, so scarce that Hatori thought that the little revelation Ruo had made was an accident, as if he was never meant to know that much –if you could call it much. He had only given that little statement and turned quiet the rest of the way, rejoining his sister and the two younger teenagers who were walking farther ahead of Hatori himself. When he tried to approach him later at their arrival, he was openly avoiding the topic by reverting back to his cheery self, making Hatori, as of the moment, drop the subject.

Now, during that morning, Hatori had been so occupied with recent Sohma medical documents that he had no time to bring it up with Ruo. Unfortunately, instead of Hatori finding Ruo, it was _him_ who found Hatori. And oh, how he wished he didn't.

"…or what about cheesecake?" Ruo exclaimed while hitting the notebook lightly with the thin pen. He nodded to himself determinedly, bringing his pen to the pad's surface, a bead sweat falling in concentration as the pen's tip scratched wildly against the paper. "What do you think, Hatori-san?"

"Hn," he muttered absentmindedly, his thoughts still dwelling around the possible meaning of Akane's answer. In all honestly, he would never be so wrapped up in his own thought likes this, he supposed it was because of the obvious comparison Kana and Akane's reply made. Two entirely different answers to the same question, and yet, both held some sort of truth in it. How was it possible?

"Hatori-san, you aren't even listening to me!" Ruo exclaimed pathetically, pointing an accusatory finger in the doctor's direction. Hatori raised a thin eyebrow at Ruo lazily, an unbelieving look crossing his olive eyes.

"What was your first clue?" Ruo burst into tears at that point, collapsing into a crumpled heap next to Hatori's desk, the floor beneath him soaked in shed tears.

"Kane-chan was right, you are mean!" When the lack of an apologetic or even sympathetic response from Hatori registered in Ruo's mind, the waterworks increased times ten. Come to think of it, what would the doctor think of an indoor swimming pool…

"Did I just hear my name?" a soft voice rang from outside the office, making the two men look up at the open door. There Akane stood in all her glory (yeah, right), her arms crossed over her chest and back pressed up against the doorframe and an amused expression shown clearly on her face, "Hatori-san, what did you do to make my Nii-chan cry?" she asked in a teasingly scolding tone, obviously not really minding her overdramatic brother's distraught persona.

"I can assure you, Akane-san," Hatori stated in reply, "That I had done nothing wrong to your brother." Akane gave the stoic man a scrutinizing gaze before shrugging lazily.

"Whatever." Ruo then burst into hysterics and started shouting out exclamations of cruelty and 'older brother abuse'. Neither paid any heed to him though, as expected. Akane glimpsed at the black notebook laid forgotten beside Ruo, and stretched a hand to retrieve it from the floor, "What's this?"

Time seemed to stand still as the red head flipped through the notebook's pages. An evil aura appeared over twitching figure and for a moment, Ruo feared for his life. A shaking hand was brought in front of the woman, the poor crumpled notebook caught in her hand in a death grip. Her head snapped up to meet Ruo's, her normally green eyes glazing an angry red.

"HOW THE HELL IS IT SUPPOSED TO BE A SURPRISE PARTY IF I ALREADY KNOW ABOUT IT!?!" she shouted menacingly making Ruo shrink in comparison.

"Okay, okay, no need to shout!" Ruo stuttered out nervously, holding a hand up to protect himself from the woman's wrath. Akane sighed tiredly and brought her index finger to her temple, rubbing it softly in soothing circles. She held up the notebook in front of her again, scanning over the list with bored eyes. Akane suddenly perked up though, when a certain game name caught her attention.

"Oh, 'Pin the Tail on the Seahorse'! That sounds like fun!" she exclaimed, her mood suddenly turning cheery as she gave the doctor a sheepish smile, "Say, Hatori-san, can we-"

"No."

"Thought so."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Ah, Saturday, what would I do without you?" Akane giggled to herself silently while wrapping her arms over her tights-clad legs. A thick blanket was secured around Akane's body, protecting her lithe form from the cold released by the falling snow. She sighed contentedly as she sipped on the hot coffee in hand, greatly appreciating the warmth that had immediately spread throughout her body.

"I see you're enjoying the snow." Akane looked back and smiled widely when she Hatori's looming figure standing by the open shoji doors*, nodding happily before turning her gaze back to the slow descend of ice, "Aren't you cold?" he asked while striding towards Akane, just stopping a step behind her.

"Not at all, Hatori-san," she replied, placing her mug down on top of the long blanket's cloth extending beside her. She tapped the space beside her invitingly, "Would you like to join me?" Hatori neither left nor sat down, but instead, stayed where he was, unmoving. "I'll take that as a 'no'." Akane laughed as she reclaimed her mug, sipping on it silently.

"When will you and Ruo-san be leaving?" Hatori asked with a soft voice as he finally took a seat beside the unusually quiet red head.

"Oh, umm…" she trailed off for a bit, looking at the ceiling with a thoughtful stare. A finger was placed on her chin as she replied, "Maybe once the snow stops falling, I just want to watch it for a while more. Sorry, I guess we'll have to trespass for a little bit longer." Akane finished with a sheepish chuckle.

"Not at all," he replied, leaning back against one of the wooden poles supporting the roof, "I have to admit, Akane-san, you and your brother had made an influence in this house during your stay."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" she inquired jokingly with a lopsided grin.

"Depends on how you look at it." he replied, a rare smile appearing on his face, and though it was very small and barely noticeable, it was still there. Akane gave an accepting shrug as a reply.

"Fair enough."

The two shared a short laugh before Akane stood up from the floor. She squeaked in surprise when the mug tipped over and spilled all over the floor, the blanket, and worst, her bare foot.

"Ouch…" she muttered silently, shaking her foot in an attempt to get rid of the burning sensation. Tears stung from the corner of her eyes as she held her foot, now beating an angry red color. Hatori sighed and motioned her to sit back down as he himself stood up, walking back inside the house.

"I'll get some bandages," Akane sighed as the doctor left her alone, staring pathetically at the mug laid on its side, its contents spilled over the floor.

"Damn you," she cursed angrily while kicking the mug, watching with a cruel smirk as it tumbled farther and farther down the elongated floor. She then gave it an approving nod as it tumbled over the edge and fell into the deep snow.

"The mug didn't do anything to you; it was pretty much the coffee inside it." Hatori said, stepping out from behind the door, now sporting a tan colored bandage and a bottle of burn-lotion in hand. Akane rolled her eyes at the doctor's comment before holding out her hands, curling it closed then back open in a 'hand it over' motion. Hatori ignored the woman's request and neared her slowly, kneeling down in front of her outstretched leg, "Does it still hurt?"

Akane shook her idly while supporting her upright body with her hands, "Not that much anymore." Hatori nodded and flipped open the bottle's cap, passing it over nearer to Akane.

"Rub that on the burn."

Akane did as she was told and poured a generous amount on the palm of her hand, rubbing it gently over the reddened skin, "What is this anyway?"

"Burn-lotion." Hatori replied curtly.

"There is such a thing?" Akane asked with a sweat drop, looking warily at the bottle in her hands and the white, gooey substance smothered all over her foot.

"Apparently there is," Hatori said with a raised eyebrow. Akane laughed at the strange look the doctor was giving her then turned back to the small, yellow bottle in hand. She turned it over and gave an unladylike snort at the back label.

_Burn Relief is combined with Aloe Vera extract to ensure the soothing of first-degree burns. _Akane rolled her eyes at the brief description then looked over the rest of the bottle. Her eyes nearly increased twice their original size when she caught the price tag still stuck to the lower corner.

"What a load of crap, it's just Aloe Vera lotion." she looked at the bottle with an indignant frown, "Hey, Hatori-san, you know you could have just gotten the Aloe Vera lotion itself instead of this rip-off. It would have saved a lot of money." Akane stopped just as she started her rant when the doctor shot her a look that immediately gave the 'shut-up-or-I'll-make-you-hurt-even-more' impression.

Hatori reclaimed the burn-lotion from Akane and placed it beside him, now safe from the red head's over-pricing issues. He unraveled the roll of bandages and placed the end on top of the curve of Akane's foot, slowly wrapping it around its arch then bringing it higher to her lower-calf. Akane looked at the doctor closely as he secured the end by tucking it in the various layers the doctor had made, giving her foot a judging gaze.

"Do you think they sell polka-dotted bandages?"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Kane-chan, what happened to your foot?" Ruo inquired as his sister limped into the room, leaning against the wall beside her for support. Akane looked at her raised foot briefly before looking back at her brother with a sardonic look.

"Let's just say I'm giving up coffee from now on," she said in a flat and scornful tone, limping closer to the table Ruo sat at.

"Typical," he replied, giving the frowning woman a sigh and shake of the head, "You have to take care better of yourself, Kane-chan!" he exclaimed, lifting a finger pointedly, "Especially now, since it's your birthday and everything." Akane scoffed bitterly and plopped down on the empty space beside her brother.

"I take damn good well of myself," she protested as she lifted an arm, ready to rest her elbow on the table's flat surface…and completely missing. Her head gave a loud 'thud' as it connected with the edge of the table, a strangled cry escaping Akane's lips as she clutched her head in agony. She stars while she blinked her eyes several times –an attempt to shoo away the blotches of black overcoming her sight.

"That got to have hurt." A new voice sounded from the doorway, announcing his presence. Ruo looked over his shoulder to meet the newcomer, giving a bright and wide smile when he noticed the man's two-toned hair.

"Haru-kun!" Ruo greeted with an enthusiastic wave, inviting the ox to join them at the table. Haru gave the man a small nod and smile before turning his attention back to Akane.

"You okay?" Akane rubbed her head a few times before looking back at the teenager, a small smile replacing her earlier frown.

"Yeah, it's just a small bump." she said, chuckling at herself lightly. Haru raised an eyebrow questioningly before shaking away the thought, placing a gloved hand on the older woman's shoulder.

"Happy birthday, Akane-san." he said, offering the red head an awkward kind of side hug. Akane laughed at the hesitation but made the top of her head rest against Haru's shoulder, somewhat returning the platonic affection.

"Thank you, Haru-kun." she said, lifting her head from the said boy's shoulder and smiled brightly, "Hey, hey, you're going to the party right?" Akane, ignoring Haru's amused stare at her sudden mood swing. Excitement had overcome the young woman, and so has the thought of meeting the entire Zodiac. She had hoped that Hatori was able to convince everyone to come, though she would have been a little bit put off herself if someone she didn't know invited her to their birthday party.

"Yeah," Haru replied simply, "…as if you would let me _not _attend." he added to himself silently, laughing behind a hand.

"Hmm? What was that, Haru-kun?" Akane asked, her voice dripping with false sweetness and a cheerful smile plastered on her face –and yet, the silent threat was spoken telepathically, and fortunately for him, Haru understood.

"Nothing, Akane-san," Haru deadpanned blandly, feigning an innocent smile. Akane chuckled in response, but glanced quickly at the door, wondering why the ox was here and not accompanied the hyperactive blonde.

"Where's Momiji-chan?" she asked, tilting her head curiously at Haru, "He didn't come home with you?" Haru shook his head lazily.

"No," he said, "He went over to Shigure's house with Yuki and the others. He said he would go over to your house with them, since they don't know where you live." Akane thought about the piece of information before giving an understanding nod.

"I guess that's a reasonable thing to do…" she pondered on the topic for a moment before shrugging lazily. She then turned to look at Ruo, the pen clutched in his hand tracing lines over the familiar looking black notebook, "Why are you so quiet?"

"No particular reason," he mumbled, ignoring the confused looks Haru and Akane threw at him. Truth be told, he didn't know what to do. He had almost told Hatori what had happened, something that would not have ended on a good note, for sure. But there was a feeling deep inside that told Ruo it would be better if the stoic doctor knew.

Maybe it was the small glimmer of hope that said Hatori could be Akane's next love, or maybe it was the strong desire of wanting Akane to show her true emotions to someone other than him. He truly didn't know.

"Arggh!" Ruo exclaimed angrily, placing both hands on his temples and rubbed the flat area in soothing circles. _This is why I hate thinking…_he thought with a wry smile. His thoughts were interrupted when a pale hand waved frantically in front of his face. Green met green when Ruo blinked surprisingly at Akane's appearance before him.

"You okay, Nii-chan? You were spacing out." she asked with a concerned tone and equally concerned expression. It suddenly turned into one of suspicion though when she poked him lightly on the nose, "You weren't trying to think too hard _again_, were you?"

"Kane-chan! You're so mean to your Nii-chan!" Ruo complained while wailing loudly, a new fountain of tears falling over dramatically from his eyes. Haru stared blankly at the scene in front of him before turning his head to gaze out of the window silently.

"I wonder how Hatori puts up with you two…"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"ACHOO!"

Hatori pulled out a clean, white handkerchief from his slacks' pockets and rubbed it against his nose lightly. He sniffed lightly as a pink tinge appeared on the tip of his nose, blinking confusedly at the empty space in front of him.

"Am I catching a cold?"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Bye-bye! See you later!" Akane shouted loudly as she waved at Hatori and Haru, carefully walking down the stone steps leading to the Sohma Main House's gate. She turned back to gaze in front of her, smiling giddily at herself before addressing Ruo, currently walking beside her, "Hey, Nii-chan, do you think Hatori-san was able to invite the entire Zodiac?"

"I wouldn't know," he replied, giving a light-hearted shrug, "The only thing I want is for you to enjoy yourself. It's been a while since you celebrated your birthday with anyone aside from me." Ruo said, pulling Akane into a playful side hug. Akane chuckled as she struggled out his grip, whining as she felt Ruo's knuckled dig softly into her skull.

"Hey, not so hard!" she complained with a laugh, pushing her brother's hands away from her head and ran farther down the snow-filled path, adjusting the beanie placed on her head. The wide and cheerful smile never left the red head's face, and she knew that nothing could dampen her good mood, not even her brother's annoying teases. Ruo glanced with an appreciative smile as Akane skipped down the street, his smile widening significantly at the sight of her obvious excitement.

_It's good you can smile like that again, Kane-chan…_

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

_Ding dong!_

"Coming!" Akane ran out of her room and to the door, checking her reflection once more in the bathroom mirror before approaching the apartment's shut door. Her earlier wardrobe of a simple skirt, sweater and tights were replaced with a white turtleneck, long-sleeved dress that stopped just before her kneecaps, black stockings protected her legs from the cold and a long green-colored scarf was wrapped messily around her neck.

Akane's red bangs were swept to the side, subtly framing her oval-shaped face. The beige carpet muffled the flat, black boots Akane wore as she neared the door, pulling it open with a big smile ready to greet her guests. "Hey, I'm glad you guys could make it!"

Hatori stood in front of all of them, Shigure and Ayame standing either side of him. Kyo, Yuki, Momiji, Haru and Tohru stood behind the three, Kisa holding onto Tohru's hand –typical of the timid girl. A boy around the same age as Kisa stood beside her, a bored look and lazy smirk residing his youthful face. Behind that batch, Ritsu stood, shockingly not in a kimono, but a pair of blue denim pants and a white button up shirt instead. Akane beamed at his appearance then drifted her eyes to the next person.

A girl looking around the same age as Tohru, a shy smile gracing her soft, girly features and Akane briefly wondered if she was a model of some sort. Akane stepped out of the doorway and brought a hand to her side, happily inviting the large group into the room.

"Please, come in."

They all entered accordingly, giving thankful glances at Akane when she mentioned that they didn't have to take of their shoes. Ruo pretty much convinced her to allow this.

'_It only happens once a year', he says…_Akane thought with a sigh, glancing briefly at the visitors as they filed into the room, shoes and all. _He's helping clean the carpet…_

"Welcome!" Ruo's booming voice echoed throughout the spacious living room, a glee-filled smile adorned his face and both arms were held wide open, welcoming the entire family, plus Tohru, with open arms.

"See, I told you they lived in a pretty place!" Momiji exclaimed while bouncing over to Akane, looking up at her with sparkly goo-goo eyes, "Happy birthday, Ka-chan!" Akane giggled and placed a hand on the tuft of blonde hair, patting it lovingly.

"Thank you, Momiji-chan." she said, surveying her own home. The apartment looked really different the last time the Sohmas visited, since it was now rearranged to make the room seem more spacious. A long, buffet-like table stood against the wall, plates of all sorts of dishes lavishing most of its space. The TV, couch, and coffee table were now pressed up against the wall beside the front door, allowing more free space in the already large living room area.

Akane immediately studied the two new faces in the room; her first target being the younger, mean-looking boy. _Hmm…_she thought, mentally rubbing her chin in deep thought, _Tough exterior…arrogance is just spilling off of him in buckets! _She gave a final nod and a tired sigh. _Definitely a mini-Kyo… _Akane then focused her attention on the other newcomer –the shy girl, who was, at the moment, giving her an awkward smile of sorts. Akane returned it kindly before giving her a look-over.

Her brown hair stopped just after her shoulders, a black bow pulling it into a half pony-tail. The top of her head probably stopped in between Tohru and herself, about an inch shorter than Akane but an inch taller than Tohru. She had a very petite figure, Tohru still being smaller, but not by much. Age-wise, Akane could tell that she couldn't be that much older than Kyo and Yuki, maybe a year or two younger than Ritsu. A freshman at a university maybe?

"Alright, alright," Ruo called out while clinking the champagne glass in hand with the dull side of a small knife, "It's time for introductions of the new kids!" The mystery Kyo-like boy scoffed at the announcement, making Akane giggled at the familiar reaction. _I can now imagine Kyo as a kid… _Akane noticed Kisa's grip onto mini-Kyo's sleeve, whispering shy and timid words silently to him. When he stood up straighter and swallowed, as if preparing to speak, Akane allowed a thin eyebrow to rise at the sudden change in mind.

_So mini-Kyo likes 'em cute, eh? _Akane giggled to herself before smiling at the small boy and the girl resembling a model, signaling them to proceed with their introductions.

"Kagura Sohma, boar of the Zodiac." The girl, Kagura, said shyly, giving Akane a deep but slightly awkward bow and she briefly returned the polite gesture.

"Hiro Sohma, born under the year of the sheep." he said curtly, his tone dripping with pride and arrogance, "Currently wants to get away from this stupid place." Everyone seemed to stop what they were doing and looked at Akane warily, wondering what the woman's reaction would be. Surprise, surprise, though, when all she did was smile and chuckle.

"You really are like a mini-Kyo!" she exclaimed, a cheery smile adapting to her innocent expression. Everyone seemed to explode in laughter at this, who the laughter was directed at, nobody was sure. Kyo's hair bristled at the comparison the clueless woman made, jabbing a finger at the birthday girl's direction accusingly.

"Don't put me in the same category as that damn brat!" he shouted, while moving his finger from Akane to Hiro, then back again. Akane laughed loudly, along with almost everyone else in the room, swearing that a cat's tail and ears would appear on Kyo any second.

"Be quiet, you stupid cat," Yuki reprimanded, a condescending tone gracing his words, "You're being rude to Akane-san." Kyo practically hissed at the nonchalant boy, bring a fist in front of him threateningly.

"Shut up, pretty boy! I'm goi-" Just as Kyo completed his declaration of war, ice cold water fell down from above, not enough to soak his clothes, but enough to dampen his fiery, orange hair. He looked back angrily at whoever was holding the glass –previously containing the water, above his head. There he saw Akane standing, glass in hand with an innocent expression clouding her face.

"Bad kitty, no fighting in my house." Akane scolded with a teasing smile, placing the used glass on top of a near-by table. As Kyo opened his mouth to roar back an exclamation, Shigure and Ayame ran to his side, pulling on a pair of party popper's strings and announced to the group with a smile,

"PARTY TIME!"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Everyone had settled in a comfortable space in the living room, the adults in one corner, snacking happily on the different dishes laid out on the buffet table, while the younger ones were scattered around randomly, free to do whatever they want during their stay. Yuki was currently conversing with Haru and Momiji about Kyo, who was, at the present, running around the apartment in hopes to flee away from an enraged boar.

When Ruo and Akane questioned Shigure about this, the only thing he elaborated was that it was her way of 'showing affection', effectively scarring the two Yoshikunis. Tohru, Kisa, Hiro and Ritsu were in another area of the room, all having a glass of different drinks in hand. Akane shook her head idly when Kyo and Kagura ran by past them.

"Lively bunch, you guys are." she said, giving the three eldest Sohmas an amused look.

"Well, we can assure you that you'll never go bored when we're around!" Ayame exclaimed, holding a hand dramatically to his forehead. Shigure nodded in agreement while the doctor remained silent.

"Yes, I don't think there'll ever be a dull moment with you guys," Ruo added with an agree-filled smile, patting Ayame in the back in a friendly manner. This time, Hatori started the chorus of laughter with a small chuckle of agreement, making everyone eventually join in as well. Akane placed down her glass of champagne for a moment, making a small statement of having to get something from her room. The three older males nodded mutely as she stole away her presence, deftly opening the door to her room and entering it.

As she stood in the doorway of the dark area, she sighed as her gaze lingered on a large portrait hanging in front of her. One of a beautiful woman with red hair falling in gentle waves and gentle green eyes, her pale skin contrasting perfectly with light green dress she wore. Akane's eyes watered as she studied the painting, something she had done so many times already.

_Mama…_she thought sadly before brushing away the tears with a solemn smile, _No, I can't spare a sad thought today…_ Akane gave herself another smile, a happier one, and entered the room fully. Her eyes scanned over the bed and shelf, not hearing the footsteps approaching her.

"Ka-chan!" Momiji exclaimed as he too barged into the room, snapping Akane out of her daze-like sate. She looked back at him in surprise, blinking down at his ecstatic, brown eyes. "What are you looking at?" Akane looked back at the painting in front of her, placing a hand on Momiji's shoulder.

"She's my mother, Momiji." Momiji's eyes widened in surprise when she mentioned this before breaking out in a wide grin and ran over to get a better look of the picture.

"Wow! She looks just like you!" he exclaimed, moving his head from side to side and top to bottom, observing every inch of the medium-sized painting.

"Indeed she does, Akane-san." Haru said, appearing shockingly behind said woman. Akane gave a smile of hanks at this, truly flattered by the comment the two cursed teenagers had made.

"Thanks for saying so, you two." she replied, inviting Haru to come into the room. Her eyes trailed over the length of the bed, the item she was meant to retrieve still _hiding _from the silently frustrated red head. Unfortunately, when she had finally spotted the black, leather violin-case sitting innocently against the hardwood of her single bed, so had Momiji.

"Oh! Ka-chan, you play violin?" Akane winced inwardly at the German youth's loud voice, hoping that his little discovery stayed unknown by the other's outside.

"I didn't know you played violin, Akane-san." Yuki's voice sounded from the doorway.

But apparently, luck was just never on Akane's side.

"Oh, how I wanted it to stay that way…" she muttered to herself before giving the effeminate boy a proper response, "Yes, I do, but I'm very rusty." A crowd seemed to suddenly gather behind Yuki, all holding expectant looks on their faces.

"Play for us!" Shigure shouted, holding up a hand encouragingly. Ayame held both clenched fists to his chest while nodding happily, whole-heartedly agreeing to the proposition.

"Please do, Akane!"

Akane felt a bead of sweat roll down the side of her face as she saw the requests fill in, and eventually caved in with a defeated sigh. "One song, I'm not very good." The group seemed satisfied and Akane retrieved the violin's carrying case, trudging out of the room sourly. She placed the black bag deftly on the table before unzipping it and pulling out the violin. The bright, white light glinted against the varnished wood's deep brown –almost red, coloring, reflecting Akane's blushing face.

The large family formed a semi-circle around Akane, some sitting on the couch, others on its armrests but most either on the floor or standing. Akane positioned the instrument against the crook of her neck and under her chin, her curled fingers pressed against the strings and her palm placed flat against the violin's narrow neck. The thin bow was placed atop the middle section of the violin, and with a slow draw, the slow and haunting music began**.

The piece started with the bow's slow, back and forth movement, the mellow pitch creating an eerie echoing sound. The tones transitioned from high to low as Akane drew the bow against the strings slowly, her eyes shut as she felt the effect her music had on her. The sound slowly deepened and faded as Akane ended the first verse, the song's speed subtly picking up as she reached its bridge –the violin's low tone turning a note higher as she continued the heartfelt performance.

The family stayed silent as she progressed with the piece. No one, not even Kyo or Hiro had a word to say as she played. Some had their head bowed respectfully. Others like Tohru, Momiji, Ritsu, Kisa and Kagura all had openly let the tears fall. Hiro, though trying very hard and stubbornly brushing away and stray tears, he couldn't deny that he too was affected by the sorrowful music.

It was truly amazing. Feeling the emotion Akane had put into those notes easily overcame the several mistakes she had made.

Hatori frowned at the sight of the youth's tears, turning his attention back to the woman performing. Yes, several mistakes had been made during the song's execution, but it had been easily over shadowed by the woman's solemn –almost scornful, expression. As if she was mourning along with the violin's sad tune. And before he knew it, he found that he couldn't have room in his heart to mock the teenagers' fallen tears because surprisingly, he found that he too had felt the tears coming. He too had felt the stinging wetness crowd his view. He too had felt the soft tears brink and almost spill over his eyelids.

He too had cried.

The Sohma doctor, the man of winter, Hatori had cried…all because of her. He didn't understand why! His better was judgment shadowed by the mere overwhelming sensation tears her music brought, and he resented her for it; hated her for it!

He hated her…for reminding him of Kana.

Shigure and Ayame were two of the ones sitting on the couch, the darker-haired one sporting a blank and empty look as he stared off into space, Ayame gripping tightly on his shirt's sleeve, his lower lip being bitten as the snake tried to keep the tears in. Haru stood beside the couch, his lower back resting against the arm rest and when his hands were found deep in his pockets and with white locks of hair shadowing his eyes, it wouldn't be surprising if he felt the surge of emotions, but still stayed tearless.

Kyo and Yuki listened without tears as well, that not being the only thing they had in common, but both were contemplating on the exact, same thing. _The curse…_ The song hadn't been the kind that was meant to cheer them up immediately with a light and merry tune, because that is something Akane's piece did not obtain. No, it was a tune that silently mourned along with them, saying that it understood what they were feeling and came to cry with them.

Ruo did nothing but stay silent. He had not shed a single tear for it, nor had he felt anything. He had grown numb knowing that the music had been affecting his sister just as much, if not more, than her audience. He knew…he knew…

The song ended on a high-note as the bow made its final move across the strings; the high-pitched tone ringing hauntingly as the sound slowly faded and finally, disappeared.

Akane exhaled loudly while removing the violin from her neck, still not recovering from being drowned with the deep emotions as she played. She blinked up sheepishly as she met the eyes of her audience, giving a lopsided smile.

"That was intense." And with that statement, the applause started.

"That was amazing, Akane-san!"

"An outstanding performance, my dear!"

"Absolutely wonderful!"

"That was great, Ka-chan!"

"Good job, kiddo."

Everyone had given the blushing red head a word of praise; even Kyo had offered a kind smile and stiff pat on the shoulder. The only one left now was…

Hatori had locked eyes with Akane, an easy feat because of their positions directly in front of each other. Akane gave him an awkward smile and half-hearted shrug, not really knowing what to say in return for the kind words she had received from the others. Of course, she was aware of the fact that they had probably never heard another violin piece and had nothing to compare her playing to. And now that she had forgotten the state of emotional distress during her performance, the impact of the many mistakes she committed hit her full-blown. But still, it was nice to hear a compliment or two once in a while.

"You play beautifully, Akane-san." Hatori said with a slight bow of the head. Akane flushed at the polite gesture and returned a shaky one of her own.

"Thank you, Hatori-san." Shigure and Ayame seemed to have shared knowing glances, throwing the two individuals teasing looks. But just as they were about to point this out to effectively humiliate the doctors, a slow –almost mocking applause came from the apartment's doorway. All heads turned to the sound's origination, most giving surprised yelps when they saw the lone figure standing in front of the door.

A woman was found there, standing tall and proudly at around 5'6, strawberry blonde hair and light blue eyes complimenting nicely with her light brown skin. A light brown beret contrasted with her pale hair, a leather jacket hugging the outward curve of her chest and the sexily rounded hips perfectly. Stilettos adorned her feet, as well as a small handbag thrown carelessly over her shoulder. Her apparel screamed expensive, and each and every one of them could tell.

"As expected from the great Akane Yoshikuni." she stated, a smirk gracing her red coated lips.

The Yoshikuni gaped in shock as recognition dawned in their matching green eyes, stuttering out the only word, or name, currently comprehendible in their vocabulary.

"Sakura!?!"

_**End Chapter 10**_

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

*- This is where Momiji told Tohru about Hatori's past with Kana. Wow, that place has had a _lot _of special moments, huh?

**- Listen to the music at: http:// www. youtube. com/ watch?v=7oYiuHdiVDo&feature=related (remove spaces, if you can't tell, ^^)! Ironically enough…well, you'll get it once you open the window. You'll laugh, seriously.

**A/N: **Oh~! Another cliffie! Muahahaha…I love cliffies (but only when I'm writing them, when I'm the reader it's just…-shivers). Well, that was a long chapter! And very detailed, I apologize if you guys get bored while reading it –I was on a roll! Hope you guys enjoyed it and sorrie again in advance if I do not post 15 chapters by the end of the week, read my profile and you'll understand why! XD Oh yeah, please inform me of any grammatical and spelling errors, I hurried to post this one! :) Soo…review and subscribe and until next time! :D Byiiez!


	11. Continuing the Celebration

**A/N: **Aww…you guys have been waiting for an explanation on who this 'Sakura' person is, haven't you? :) Well, here is the long-awaited chapter and I hope you guys enjoy it! Oh and also, go to my profile and look for the Photobucket link, it now has Akane's mother's painting and some pictures of Sakura as well. On to the thankiies, :)!

**Note: **Seriously guys, those who put me on Alert and stuff, I appreciate and am very thankful for that but it won't take more than 60 seconds to drop a review before you press that evil little red button with an 'X'. :( C'mon, I've gotta get my motivation! Pweeeaaaaaase? Oh, and go to my profile, scroll down the long-ass profile and read the latest entry. It's the details on Playing the Memories' status.

**Thanks To: **

**LookOutShe'sGotAPen- **I know right?! As much as I dislike Kana, I couldn't help but cry at that video…-sniff- Anyways, I'm glad that chappie touched you! I was crying while typing it, T.T Weird right? Hehe, well anyways, thankiies again!

**ValueMyHeart- **Aww…I'm glad you thought so my dear! Oh, a cuppycakiie to you for being my 50th reviewer! Yaaaay, -gives cuppycakiie-! Thankiies for the review!

**-Valor-- **Omgiie! You're right! He does! O.o Bwahaha…that's right, fear the cliffies! XD Hehe, well, that's the effect Sakura's supposed to have but anyways, thankiies a bunch! :)

**Kimmytrainer- **I want to give you a very much appreciated thanks because of your detailed review. For those moments you took the time to review a chapter, you had no idea what kind of help you have been giving me. I truly thank you for that, :) I hope you enjoy this chapter deariie!

**QueenThayet12990- **Hey! Thanks so much for offering your help! I really appreciate it, :) I was actually kinda scared when you told me you were a violinist. I thought you were gonna criticize the way I described Akane's playing. Hehe, thanks for going easy on a new writer, :) Thankiies for the review!

**A Special Thanks To: **

**DragonAngel21, Rhiniel, ArianeKeisha, NightmareSyndrom, bleedingcrimson **and **Kimmytrainer **for adding this story to your Story Alerts; **watergoddesskasey **and **psychotic kitsune **for putting me on her Author Alerts; to **XxFallingxxAngelxX, psychotic kitsune, **and** loveattack2021 **for adding me to their Favorite Authors list; and finally, to **XxFallingxxAngelxX, NightmareSyndrom, Vanessa Rowes** and **loveattack2021 **for adding me to their Favorite Stories list. I very much appreciate it, :)

Enjoy!

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

**Chapter 11: Continuing the Celebration**

What went wrong?

Akane was a good girl. She did what her parents told her to do…with much consideration. She lived an ordinary life of twenty-six years. She had gone to pre-school, napped away happily during nap-time, shared her cookies and milk. She lived through grade school, junior high school, high school and college. She even graduated top of her class with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and is now a successful vet in one of Japan's finest hospitals.

_Plus_, she paid her taxes!

So what did the young woman do to deserve _this _kind of punishment?! The kind of punishment that allowed that she-witch to sit in front of her, sipping away all merry and smiley at the tea _she_ made, at _her_ house, during _her_ birthday party.

_What went wrong?_

Akane narrowed her eyes dangerously when the clanking of the teacup was heard as the blonde woman in front of her placed it on the table, placing her hands neatly against the folds of her skirt, "Aren't you going to introduce me, Kane-chan?"

The host scoffed at the stranger's choice of honorific, denying any fact of being on friendly terms with her but still introduced her to the Sohmas. "Sakura Yamamoto," she said bluntly and rudely while leaning back against the chair, not bothering to give a short description. Sakura gave Akane a teasing pout before turning back to the others, a sweet smile plastered on her face.

"My name is Sakura Yamamoto, and I just arrived in Japan a few hours ago from America," she explained with a half-bow. Shigure and Ayame took an immediate fascination with the foreigner and stood at her side to introduce themselves.

"I am Shigure Sohma, pleased to make your acquaintance," he recited, a flirtatious smirk residing his lips. He raised her hand daintily and placed a soft kiss on the knuckles, reminding Akane of the first time she had met the dog (in more ways than one), "Very pleased," Ayame stole the blonde's attention with a sweeping and overdramatic bow, taking her other hand in his and placing another kiss on her knuckles.

"Ayame Sohma,"

"My, my," Sakura said, giggling lightly as she pulled away her hands from the two Sohmas, "You never told me you had such handsome friends, Kane-chan!" Akane snorted in a very unladylike fashion and leaned back against the wall, looking away as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"I don't," Shigure and Ayame started to cry when they heard her comment, shouting out declarations of hurt and sorrow. Sakura's and Ruo's gazes were briefly held as the two stared at the other's orbs. Sakura suddenly blinked and turned away airily, focusing her attention on Hatori, the only other man who hadn't made a move on her, piquing her interest greatly.

She glided over to the quiet man, placing a delicate hand on his upper arm gently while offering him a sweet smile, "And you are?" Everyone's mouth seemed to just drop open at the woman's question. No, not the question itself, but her mannerism…the way she openly flirted with the man. That was just wrong; no one _just _flirted with Hatori. It was an unspoken rule!

Shigure and Ayame bawled at Sakura's interest in the dark-haired man, Ruo was gritting his teeth angrily at the mere sight, and everyone else just stood there staring at Sakura.

Who was flirting…

…with Hatori.

"Hey, lady! Who the hell are you anyway?" Kyo piped up from the corner of the room, giving the woman a disturbed glare. He didn't really have a problem with her, it was just the way she had scarily shown her liking of the cursed doctor. Sakura narrowed her eyes as she strode over to where Kyo was, looking down on him as if he were below her very being.

"Didn't I just say my name, kid?" she asked with a smirk before turning around sharply, the tips of her shoulder blade length hair flicking Kyo's nose. Yuki and Haru held the hissing cat by the collar as he tried to leap at the woman, a round of curses being muffled by Haru's gloved hand. Sakura reclaimed her spot in the couch, crossing her legs and leaning back against it as if she owned it.

"But anyways, I am a model," she explained, giving the astonished group a small smile, "I arrived at Japan just a few hours ago since I was previously working in an agency in America. And since I remember it being Kana-chan's birthday today, I pulled some strings and was able to find out where Kane-chan lived and dropped by to say 'hello'."

"You're a model?" Tohru exclaimed excitedly, her wide, blue eyes sparkling in admiration, "That's amazing!" Kisa nodded ecstatically in agreement, both her hand folded nervously at her chest.

Sakura gave both young girls a sweet smile, "Yes, I am a model-"

"-who shouldn't be here!" The group turned to look at Akane surprisingly, Sakura being the most shocked one of them all. Her mouth formed a perfect 'o' as she looked at the red head whose clenched hands were shaking dangerously at her side, the chair she sat in now abandoned. Akane suddenly snapped her head up to lock eyes with Sakura, stomping angrily in the other direction. As she passed by the shell-shocked blonde, she took her wrist in a death-grip and strode across the living room, looking over her shoulder as she neared her room's door.

"This will just take a second; continue the party without us!" she called over to the bemused group before opening the door to her room, slamming it shut as they both entered its dark confines.

"What are you doing here!?!" Akane exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at the nonchalant blonde. Sakura sighed and rolled her eyes, walking to the small bed in the corner of the room and taking a seat on the mattress.

"I told you," she said, twirling a lock of blonde hair around her finger lazily, "I just got transferred from California,"

Akane's eyes narrowed dangerously, "I know that!" she shouted as she stomped her foot on the floor, the flat heel creating a soft 'thump' against the surface, "I meant, what are you doing _here_!? In my apartment?!" the red head elaborated, ignoring the 'ahh'ing sound Sakura made. "Do you have any idea what Ruo must be feel-"

Sakura's eyes turned into slits at the mention of the older Yoshikuni's name, "Don't bring him into this!" she shouted, standing up from the bed and giving Akane a ferocious glare. Akane looked taken aback for a moment at her sudden reaction, but soon retaliated with an even harsher reply.

"He has every right to be a part of this conversation! Ever since you left him-"

"Akane!" Sakura interrupted, her gaze suddenly dropping down to the floor. Akane stared at her with a puzzled look, wondering about the model's sudden interruption, "Please don't bring him into this…" she muttered softly, her eyes never meeting the red head's. Akane didn't reply to her statement. All she did was stride past her and took a seat on the bed –allowing Sakura time to explain herself to her.

"I was never supposed to go to Japan in the first place," the model explained, her back still facing Akane's. "But when I had heard about it, I jumped at the opportunity in hopes that I could somehow make proper amends to you and Ruo," Sakura said, her hands –that were hanging in front of her- clung onto her skirt desperately; her blue eyes lowered modestly.

"But you never explained why you left in the first place," Akane said sadly, "You had no idea what you did to Ruo. He blamed himself, you know. He had somehow convinced himself that it was his fault you left. That he done something wrong in the relationship and that it drove you away," she continued, her voice rising with every sentence, the degree of anger in her tone had rising along with it.

"No!" Sakura exclaimed, whipping her body around in step as she turned to look at Akane. Her eyes and voice both held a tone of desperation as she shouted out an explanation in hurried words. Akane briefly thought she might have choked on her own vocal chords if she didn't calm down, "It wasn't his fault!" the model cried out, holding a hand to heart.

Akane raised an eyebrow at the woman's loud voice, making her stutter out an apology and lower her gaze again, "I left on my own account." she said in a hushed tone, reminding Akane of a whipped puppy.

"Exactly," Akane whispered to herself more than anyone, standing up from the bed and walking back to the door. As her hand landed deftly on the doorknob, she directed her next statement at Sakura, "You can stay for the party. But don't go anywhere near Ruo…"

She twisted the metal knob open and squinted her eyes as it adjusted to the sudden infiltration of light, "…or you might just mess up what's left of the already broken relationship you two have." And with that, she exited the room, leaving Sakura to herself in the darkness.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Ka-chan!" Momiji exclaimed as he noticed the slouch figure of Akane approaching them. Akane looked up from the floor and gave the bunny a smile, patting his head when he looked up worriedly at her, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she said before pumping a fist in the air, "Let's play games!" A loud chorus of cheers was heard after her declaration, announcing everyone's whole-hearted agreement. Ruo then emerged from the kitchen, a cup of spoons in hand, as well as two raw eggs. He placed it on the long buffet table and clapped his hands loudly, earning himself the large group's attention just as Sakura came out.

"Okay, this is how the game goes," he started, holding up one of the plastic spoons and egg, "There will be two teams. Each team will have one egg to represent them but each member will have their own plastic spoon," he said, pointing to the cup containing said items. He pulled back two of the chairs hidden beneath the table and placed it in front of him, "Each team will form two lines and whoever is at the front will place the spoon in their mouth,"

As he said this, he demonstrated it by placing the end of the spoon in his mouth, biting it with his teeth, "You will then have to balance the egg on the spoon, walk across the room, circle the chair and return to your team's line." he said with a smile after removing the spoon from his mouth.

"After that, you'll have to transfer the egg on your spoon to the next player's but," Ruo held up a finger and smiled teasingly, "You are not allowed to use your hands! The first team that breaks their egg loses!"

Akane smiled at the game Ruo had chosen, it had been one of their favorite party games while they were younger. It was a nice reminder of their childhood –Akane appreciated and approved of the game of his choice.

"Since all together we will be an uneven number," Ruo said over Momiji's excited exclamation, "I will be the judge," When no objections were heard Ruo nodded happily and produced a long plastic sheet, "Let's cover up the carpet first!"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

After the carpet had been covered and the teams had been decided, everyone now stood in a straight line, eager for the game to begin. On 'Team Cat', Kyo stood at the front of the line with Kisa, Hiro, Kagura, Ayame, Sakura and Hatori following behind him.

On 'Team Rat', Yuki was first, followed by Haru, Momiji, Tohru, Ritsu, Shigure and finally, Akane. Ruo stood in between the two chairs placed along both paths, holding up two flags –one orange and the other purple.

Kyo leaned forward a little, the egg balancing dangerously against the spoon's concave surface. As usual, he had seen the game as a perfect time to compete with Yuki which resulted to his now 'determined-to-win' expression.

"Ready," Ruo started, stretching his arms high above his heads, the flags flapping a little at the sudden movement, "Set," Kyo and Yuki positioned a foot behind them, readying themselves for the count, "Go!" Ruo brought his hands down, and stepped backwards, granting the two teenagers access to the chairs.

Loud shouts of cheers were heard as Kyo and Yuki started the track across the room. Yuki was holding himself much more elegantly while gliding along the plastic covered floor, something that was already expected of him. Kyo on the other hand, practically stomped towards the chair, the egg shaking in the spoon almost threateningly.

Yuki circled the chair carefully and safely made it back to his team's line, Kyo following soon after. They quickly but carefully transferred their eggs; Yuki to Haru and Kyo to Kisa, who soon took their turns around the chair. Momiji and Hiro were next, the bubbly bunny not really having any difficulty while the sixth-grader strutted along the path confidently. When Ritsu's and Ayame's turn arrived, 'Team Rat' had been certain to remind the nervous-wrecked monkey that it was just a game and that suicide was not needed if they lost.

Amazingly enough, Ritsu had safely made his way back to their team's line roughly the same time as Ayame. 'Team Rat' had been in the lead until it came to Tohru and Kagura, a match that had been quite interesting to watch.

Tohru had, for several times, almost tripped over her own two feet because of concentrating too much on the egg while Kagura had practically ran across the room, around the chair and back to the line –the egg not even shaking. By the time Sakura, the next person in 'Team Cat's line, was half-way across the room, Tohru had finally reached 'Team Rat's line and muttered hasty apologies. Shigure more than made up for it though when he walked confidently to the chair, eventually catching up to Sakura.

The model was obviously having no trouble with the game. Years of walking down the runway with perfect grace, balance and poise had that effect, and when she and Shigure reached their respective team's line, it was another tie.

It was all up to the last competitors, Hatori and Akane.

Akane shuffled softly as Shigure dropped the egg into her own spoon then slowly took the first few steps towards the chair located on the other side of the room. Suddenly, her living room seemed much larger than it actually was. Hatori was, not surprisingly, having a much easier time with balancing the egg and though he did stumble a few times, the egg did not so much as give a small tremor.

_I bet it likes Hatori too… _Akane thought bitterly as she glanced at the doctor through the corner of her eyes. She looked back cross-eyed at her egg and took longer strides across the room, a look of determination painted on her face as she neared the wooden chair. She had to resist the temptation to smile in victory when she twisted her body to turn around the chair, her feet crisscrossing with each other as she maneuvered around the wooden legs.

Ah, but what did fate have in store for the young red-head. As soon as she had passed the chair and refaced her team mates, the toe of her shoes got caught on her team's chair's legs and…

…well, you know what happens next.

_Crack!_

Akane stared in both shock and dismay as the egg fell out of her spoon's crevice, falling and cracking to its doom on the plastic cover below. The plastic utensil now hung idly off the corner of her mouth as she gave an annoyed snap of the fingers and click of the tongue.

"So close," 'Team Cat' cheered loudly as the doctor reached the front of his line, taking the egg with one hand and reclaiming the spoon from his mouth with the other. Akane side-stepped around the yellow gooey mess now decorating the used-to-be clear plastic, offering the doctor a sheepish smile, "Congrats on the win," she said with a small laugh.

Hatori nodded subtly, a ghost of a smile crossing his lips, "Thank you."

"Alright, the winner is…" Ruo interrupted while snatching the nearest 'Team Cat' member's hand –Kyo. "Team Cat!" Kyo held up his free hand cried out in success.

"Yay!" Kagura exclaimed, claiming a death-like grip on Kyo's torso happily. Sakura gave Ayame a friendly high-five while hugging Kisa playfully, ruffling Hiro's hair as he tried to focus Kisa's attention back to himself. Akane smiled briefly at the recognition she saw in her old friend, but slowly shook it away with a frown.

"Alright, kiddies," Ruo said, flinging an arm around Akane's shoulders, "It's time for the next game!"

"Actually…" Sakura cut in, glancing daintily at the diamond-studded watch wrapped around her slim wrist, "I have to go back to my hotel right about now so," she smiled at Akane and Ruo before bowing politely. "Thank you for letting me stay,"

Akane stuttered confusedly before nodding, "Uh, yeah. No problem," she returned the bow awkwardly and watched as Sakura moved towards the Sohmas.

"It was very nice meeting all of you," she said, giving each of the boys a brief kiss on the cheek. Akane twitched slightly as she saw her lips linger on Hatori's cheek for a millisecond, approaching Sakura as she gave Tohru, Kisa and Kagura a hug, "Ah, Kane-chan, will you show me to the door?" Akane muttered a soft 'yes' and grabbed her wrist, leading her –no, dragging her to the apartment's door.

"Thank you," Akane said through gritted teeth, her eye twitching distastefully, "…for coming, Sakura," Sakura chuckled and kissed her on the cheek as well, further adding to the red-head's disturbance.

"It was nice seeing you again, Kane-chan," Sakura replied while twisting the door knob open and letting herself out. Akane sighed in relief as she pushed the door slightly, the force just strong enough to make the door close. She jumped in surprise when a hand stopped it though, Sakura's head appearing from the available crack in the wall, her hair falling innocently to the side, "Oh yes, I almost forgot,"

The model then produced a thin, elongated box, its surface covered with soft, red velvet. Akane wanted its contents, or rather, its price to be remained unknown to her as the blonde pushed it towards her, "Happy birthday, Kane-chan,"

Before Akane had time to make a fuss and return it though, Sakura's head had disappeared once more from behind the door which left her staring in surprise at the box in hand. _Damn her…_ she though, striding back to the group who had now engaged themselves in their own private conversations. She placed the box on the table, not bothering to open it, and smiled happily at her guests.

"So, what's the next game?"

Ruo smiled a little bit too cheekily and pulled out a large black box, "Well…I think you're quite familiar with this game,"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Go, Ka-chan!" Momiji cheered as said woman steered around the room, her eyes covered with a thin white blindfold, "To the right!" Akane turned to her left, the pin in hand pointing dangerously at the people in front of her, "No, you're _other_ right!"

She switched directions, "There you go!" Ruo shouted through a bull-horn. A picture of an orange seahorse painted on a small, rectangular tarpaulin, its 'tail' was currently embedded in the wall beside it. Hatori stared blankly at the sight as Akane continued the dreadful game: 'Pin the Tail on the Seahorse'. What kind of sick joke was this?

"No! You're getting colder!" Shigure shouted when Akane strayed from the poster, turning around helplessly around the room, "Go right!"

"No, go left!" Ayame disagreed, cupping his mouth with a curled hand.

"No, you stupid snake, a little further Akane!" Kyo shouted, hitting the silver-haired man on the head roughly. Yuki scoffed and crossed his arms, "Fools, Akane-san, you should go a little backwards,"

Kyo bristled and hissed at Yuki, "Shut up, you damn rat!" Tohru interrupted hastily, stuttering out hurried words.

"GO AKANE-SAN!" Kagura scream, almost breaking the chair she was sitting on. A demonic look appeared on her face as the red head steered to the wrong direction, again.

"A little to the left, Akane-nee-chan," Kisa said timidly, shuffling lightly in her seat. Hiro looked down at the small girl and smirked, deciding to put in his two cents as well.

"To the left, woman!" he shouted, voicing out Kisa's earlier suggestion in a louder tone. As Akane turned right, she bumped into Ritsu, making the effeminate boy burst into apologies.

"Now, now, don't worry Ritsu-chan," Akane comforted before turning her attention back to the game, holding both hands in front of her.

"Where is that stupid seahorse!?!" she shouted in annoyance, "No offense, Hatori-san," she added as an after-thought, facing the space in front of her clueless to where the said doctor was.

"None taken," he replied blandly. Akane smiled sheepishly and continued her search of the dreaded seahorse poster.

"There! To the left, Akane-san!" Haru shouted, surprising the woman as she whirled around to face her left.

"No, Haru-" Yuki interrupted.

"Ouch!"

Akane jumped at the sudden exclamation, lifting the blindfold from her face. Her eyes widened when she was greeted with Hatori rubbing his arm painfully, staring disdainfully at the tail-pin Akane held in her hand.

"-she was headed for Hatori," Yuki finished with a sigh. Akane stared open-mouth at the frowning doctor and shrugged her shoulders sheepishly.

"Well, I got the seahorse, didn't I?"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"It's time to go," Hatori announced, pulling his long coat over his forearm. Loud wails of disappointment were heard from Momiji, Shigure and Ayame as they pouted disapprovingly. Hatori gave the older two pointed looks, which immediately silence them. Momiji sighed dejectedly before approaching Hatori with a sullen look.

"Do we really have to go?" he asked, his lower lip jutting out cutely. Hatori nodded stiffly while pointing at a near-by clock.

"Momiji, it's getting late," Hatori said. Tohru looked up from the TV when she heard the doctor, and looked up hesitantly at the same clock. When she saw the narrow hands nearing one she started panicking and shot up from her seat on the couch.

"It's almost one!" she exclaimed, rushing around the room while reclaiming all of her belongings, "I've imposed for way too long! I'm so sorry Akane-chan!" the brunette retrieved her coat and approached the door before being stopped by an amused Shigure.

"Calm down, Tohru," he said, patting her head jokingly. Tohru's turned teary as she glanced to Akane, bowing and muttering out apologies.

"I'm so sorry for staying for so long, Akane-chan," Akane shook her head and smiled lightly, chuckling at the teenage girl's worried expression.

"Don't worry about it, Hatori-san's the one who wants to leave," she replied, giving said man a teasing glare. Ayame swooned dramatically as he joined Shigure next to Tohru, whining to the dragon on how he had ruined the duo's fun.

Everyone glanced at Hatori through the corner of their eyes, all silently wanting to celebrate with the siblings for a little longer. When the tall man did not so much as shift in his step, they all sighed in defeat and moved to retrieve their scattered belongings as well. Akane chuckled as she patted Tohru on the back.

"Let's just get together again the next occasion," she said, smiling as everyone now stood in front of her. They all nodded in agreement and said their goodbyes, Akane safely giving the girls their own hugs while bowing to the men as they too exited through the door. Ruo now stood beside her, giving the red head a knowing, but teasing, smile.

"Well, was it a good idea or not?" Akane rolled her eyes as she strode past her brother, pushing him gently in the chest.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," she muttered, her eyes scanning over the room, "Let's clean up tomorrow, okay?" Ruo reluctantly muttered a 'yes' and Akane nodded happily. The smile was wiped clearly off her face though when her gaze settled on the elongated box on the table, screaming out its once neglected presence. She snatched it from the table and entered her room, pressing her back up against the wooden frame.

She held her breath in unwanted anticipation, forcing up the magnetized cover. Akane felt as though the breathe had been punched out of her when her eyes came in contact with a small diamond stone hanging from a thing netted chain. She pulled it up from it's well fitted container and held it in front of her face, frowning as it glinted against the moonlight shining from the open window.

Akane suddenly pushed it back inside and hurled the velvet box across the room, not knowing, nor caring, where it landed. She slid down the door into a crumpled heap, the bottled up emotions accumulating during the model's sudden appearance escaping through anger tears.

"Damn you…"

_**End Chapter 11**_

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

**A/N: **Gya! It's a horrible chappie, I know! =( But please review anyway, and don't forget to look at my profile for some important notes. Inform me of any typos and grammatical errors! I needed to post this up fast, =) That's all for now, byiie!


	12. Mending the Friendship

**A/N: **I`m sorry for the freaky long wait! I won`t delay, to the thankiies –which piled up!

**Thanks To:**

**LittleFireQueen- **Oh~! It's your first time reviewing my story? =) Thanks so much! And, I'm hoping they get together soon, but I'm still planning on that, so thanks for the review!

**-my-forgotten-rose—**Haha! Akane's got a lot of drama in her life, ne? I'm glad you enjoyed that little bit, :) Thanks!

**watergoddesskasey- **It's good you think so dearrie! Thankiies!

**Kimmytrainer- **You thought this was a Tokyo Mew Mew story? =)) That's the first I've heard. About that laughing thing, we have something in common, =) A lot of people get annoyed with me too! I'm glad you loved this chapter, thanks for the review!

**ValueMyHeart- **Well, you wouldn't be the first to remark on the 'Pin the Tail on the Seahorse' snippet, :) Thanks for the review!

**LookOutShe'sGotAPen- **Epic? Haha, thanks! :)) And, lucky for you, this chapter is specifically made to explain their past together, so I hope you like this chapter too! Thanks!

**-Valor—**Well, a love triangle? You'll just have to wait and see my dear. A supa-dupa writer? Teehee, that's awesome! And thanks for understanding!

**Bringer of the Apocolypse- **I'm glad you loved it! =D Thanks for the review!

**Kat: **No, I have not. That`s just talent. I kid!

**PiratesLife4Me02: **Thanks for saying so! I like your pen name by the way!

**HeartsWillToWrite: **Well, I guess you've waited long enough! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

**kyo-chan3479: **Aww, thanks so much for that inspiring review! I will do my best! I hope you enjoy!

**A Special Thanks To:**

lunarsnowdrift, kuramasfan, Alanna-Aki, yuriama sohma, NANNERPUSS, SakuraDagger15, PiratesLife4Me02, HeartsWillToWrite, kyo-chan3479, .xX, The Devil's Death Rose, StarLuna, Yours by Moonlight, FALLEN-ANGEL24, sakura-chan07, Aphrodite96 and** emogirl1790 **for putting this story on Alerts; **Samantha Jane West-Croft**, **Springflowerangel, yuriama sohma, starlight luna, SukiLovesAnime, SakuraDagger15, PiratesLive4Me02, SarahELupin, HeartsWillToWrite, kyo-chan3479, StarLuna, Lovemeg101, Luka14, AnImEwIlLRuLe** and **ImmatureChild **for adding this story to their Favorites; and to **Bringer of the Apocolypse, kuramasfan, yuriama sohma, HeartsWillToWrite **for putting me one her Favorite Authors list; and **Bringer of the Apocolypse, Coralynn **and** HeartsWillToWrite **for putting me on Author Alerts. Whew, now enough of that!

Enjoy!

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

**Chapter 12: Mending the Friendship**

_Flashback_

"_Nii-chan, Sakura-chan!" _

_A sixteen year-old redhead shouted as she ran down the sidewalk, eventually catching up to the tall blonde and brunette looking back amusedly at her. She skidded to a stop a she neared the two, hands resting on her knees as she tried to regain her breathe. _

"_You're so slow, Kane-chan," the nineteen year-old Ruo teased as he swung Sakura's book bag over his shoulder effortlessly. Akane glared up at her brother as she stood up straight, scoffing at her brother's reply._

"_Aren't you supposed to be picking _me_ up? Sisters before girlfriends?" Sakura looked nervously at Akane, briefly wondering if the younger girl was taking true offense at her and her brother. The small smile on the redhead's face said otherwise though, and the blonde locked Akane in a tight headlock._

"_So, Kane-chan," Sakura said, claiming Ruo's arm in her other hand, "Where would you like to eat tonight? Ruo-kun said he would treat both of us today!" Akane raised a thin eyebrow and gave her sheepish looking brother a pointed look._

"_What's the special occasion?" she asked, pulling away from Sakura's headlock and crossing her arms over her chest, the black book bag hanging inconspicuously over her shoulder. Ruo chuckled and stretched both arms, letting his fingers cross over the crook of his neck. _

"_The fact that my little sister passed her final exams with flying colors!" he said before adding, "And her lovely friend, Sakura, too, of course," when said girl pouted teasingly at him. The two girls now walked either side of him, pushing him in the other direction when he wandered of course –that being easily done with his face pointed at the sky._

"_I swear, Nii-chan," Akane said with a sigh, "That agency of yours pays you way too much,"_

"_That's because I am the best archer in the world!" Ruo exclaimed, jumping into a stance and drawing back his arm with one eye closed, imitating himself about to shoot an arrow with a bow. _

"_And it does horribly on your already swollen ego," Sakura said with a roll of the eyes, pushing the energetic boy's shoulder. The three laughed as they turned around the corner, Ruo pushing back Sakura softly._

"_Yeah, well, that's why you love me isn't it?" Akane crinkled her nose in distaste as the couple started going mushy. She stuck out her tongue and shrugged off the strap of her bag, swinging it back and forth as she sneaked up behind the two. _

"_Hey, hey, let's keep it family oriented, shall we?" she interrupted squeezing her arm in between Ruo and Sakura. The two blushed lightly before Ruo broke the thick silence. _

"_Where's Tsubasa anyway?" _

_Akane's expression turned grim slightly, sighing sadly and replying, "He was rushed to the hospital a while ago," Sakura and Ruo nodded solemnly, silently sympathizing with the youngest of the group._

"_Well, anyway," Akane said, smiling in an attempt to change the topic, "What were we talking about? Ruo's big head right?" Ruo feigned hurt and mock-swooned, landing on Sakura's front. _

"_Extremely big," Sakura corrected as she pushed off the brunette, "But that's why we love you, and the reason we'll never leave you,"_

_0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0_

"_What?! What do you mean she's gone?!" Akane shouted at her principal, slamming her hands on the varnished table angrily. The grey-haired man sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose as the other faculty members attempted to calm the redhead._

"_She quit school. The Yamamoto family moved to America just yesterday, it was requested that it be kept confidential," he explained before waiving at the door, "Now please, don't you have a class to get to?" _

_Akane stormed out of the faculty room, her hair swishing behind her in its ponytail. _I have to tell Nii-san…_she thought, digging her hand inside her bag and retrieved a slim phone. She flipped it open and dialed the number, waiting impatiently as she heard the line connecting._

"Kane-chan?"

"_Nii-chan, it's Sakura. She's gone,"_

_All she heard was a crash on the other end._

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Akane was snapped out her trance-like state when the sharp ringing of her phone echoed throughout the room. She pushed her body off her bed and walked to the wooden desk on the other side of the small room. The bright light illuminating off the screen made Akane squint a little, and as she pressed the 'accept' button, the redhead held the gadget lazily to her ear.

"Hello?" she muttered into the mouthpiece, rubbing her eyes in an attempt to get rid of the drooping and heavy feeling. She heard nothing but a few scuffling noises on the other side making Akane raise an eyebrow curiously, "Hello?" she pressed on harder, stretching the 'o'. She sighed and moved to end the call but was stopped when a soft voice suddenly spoke.

"_Kane-chan?" _

Said woman's eyes narrowed, "Who is this?" A few scuffling noises were heard once more before the person on the other line spoke.

"_It's Sakura. Wait, don't hang up!" _Akane stopped at the exclamation, her thumb twitching over the 'end' button. _"Hear me out?" _Sakura said with a pleading tone. Akane had a mental debate, but decided to listen, genuinely curious as to what the model had to say.

"What is it?" she asked, hearing a sigh of relief on the other line.

"_You always were the forgiving type, Kane-chan," _The redhead bristled at the informality and practically hissed out a reply.

"I never said I forgave you! I just said you could explain why in the world you called," Sakura chuckled lightly, albeit nervously. Her voice turned serious though as she voiced a request.

"_Akane, could you meet up with me later today? I mean," _the words came out in a hurried jumble and Akane had to calm the blonde down in order for her to repeat it, _"could we get some coffee maybe? I need to talk to you…to explain to you what happened," _

Akane sighed, knowing deep inside that the topic would be opened sooner or later. Though she didn't want to have to face the ex-friend, she couldn't deny the fact that she wanted to clear up any misunderstandings made between them, if there were any. She was still reluctant though, the hurt she knew Ruo had been through had gotten to her, and the possibility that it may happen again if she gives Sakura back their trust was just too much for her to say 'yes' just like that.

She thought about it long and hard, the blonde woman on the other line twitching with anxiety. And then finally, Akane spoke again.

"Alright," she muttered. Sakura sighed with relief, "But you better make it worth my time, Sakura," said Akane through gritted teeth, her blunt words bursting through said model's bubble easily.

With a shake of her head, Sakura thanked the red head with a soft, _"Thank you,"_ They spent the next few minutes discussing about the smaller details like where they would meet and such. And just like that, the tension-filled conversation ended.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"I really don't know why you insist on keeping this meeting a secret, Kane-chan," Ruo complained as he followed Akane around the apartment. "It's not like you have a date with a certain dark-haired, brooding, and not to mention spine-chilling doctor, are you?" he asked, his eyebrow raising teasingly.

"Oh please," Akane replied with a scoff, "If I didn't know any better I would say you were jealous, Nii-chan," she said with a smug look and an equally smug tone to boot.

"Now, now, sister dear," Ruo said while winking, "I would never break my sister fragile little heart, now would I?"

Akane simply rolled her eyes in response, proceeding to snatch her scarf and beanie from a coat hanger. "Goodbye, brother," she said with a small wave and slowly shut the door behind her.

"I think…" Ruo whispered to himself solemnly, "I need a shower."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Akane sighed to herself as she walked along the icy path leading her across the street. She idly remembers the first encounter she had with Hatori, the time she almost got hit by a car because _someone _was too lazy to shop for his own food. The young woman giggled to herself silently, secretly thanking her brother for being that lame loser she loves.

She skipped over a small crack marring the smooth streets, her heels clicking as it hit the other side of the crack. She then made her way safely to the sidewalk, digging her glove covered hands deeper into her coat pocket.

She exhaled deeply again, regretting the fact that she agreed to go outside of the comforts of her sweet, warm home.

_Warmness…blankets…home…_she complained silently as she felt the cold winter air nip at her face. "Stupid model," she muttered to herself, relieved to finally reach the door of the restaurant they had agreed to meet at.

Akane knees turned into jelly as she reached the inside of the small café. The warm atmosphere and the refreshing scent on newly brewed coffee relaxing her nerves instantly.

_Paradise…_she thought with a contented smile, slowly making her way to the back of the café where most tables were located. She craned her neck carefully, shifting her eyes from table to table in hopes of finding the blonde soon.

She gave up with a sigh, concluding that she was a tad bit early. The red head chose to sit on one of the more secluded tables located in the corner of the café. She sat down on the red, plush loveseat and placed her bag on the table. A waiter came over to her soon, a small laminated menu board in hand.

Akane looked up and smiled as he handed her the card, and let her eyes skim over their assortment of treats and drinks. She laughed slightly and looked up at the waiter, "I didn't think this place would have waiters to come over to the customer. It struck me more of a…'fall in line and order' kind of place," she noted with an upturned lip.

The waiter laughed heartily, "It isn't. I just saw it as an excuse to come and talk to you," he gave a lopsided smile and offered a hand, "Name's Koji," Akane eyed his hand wearily then slowly took it,

"Akane, you're not from around here are you?" she asked with an amused smile as she let go of the warm hand, "Though, I would have never guessed, you're Japanese is flawless,"

"Why, thank you, Akane-san," he said. "I actually just moved here from England, full blooded Japanese though."

Akane nodded in understanding, "That would explain it,"

The light hearted conversation was interrupted as the chimes of the café's door rang, signaling the entrance of another customer. Akane looked back at Koji with a small smile, "I'm guessing that's my company,"

"Boyfriend?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No, actually…"

"Akane, dear!" Sakura squealed with a bubbly tone as she neared said red-head, "I am so sorry I am late, traffic was horrible!" she said as she sat down on the loveseat opposite of Akane. She looked up at Koji with a surprised look, "I didn't know waiters came over to take orders,"

Koji and Akane just shared a look and immediately laughed.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Akane sipped softly at her hot coffee, appreciating the warmth that had enveloped her entire body. She sighed contentedly as she put her mug down with a smile.

Sakura laughed softly as she put hers on the coaster provided for each of them as well, "You are so amusing to watch, Kane-chan," she said quietly, the words coming out as almost a whisper.

"Listen, It's really nice to know that you find the way I drink my coffee amusing, but I told you, make this conversation worth my time because frankly, I'd be happy to leave right now," Akane retorted sharply as her eyes narrowed.

Sakura stayed silent for a while in shock before regaining her composure, "Very well then," she said with a twist of her neck, "I would like to get back together with Ruo,"

"What!?"

"You heard me."

"Are you crazy?" Akane shouted, struggling to keep her voice down, "Who the hell do you think you are?! You think you can just barge into our lives which, by the way, were perfectly fine without you, and steal away my brother just because you've gotten tired with whatever man whore you were with while in America?!" the red-head looked appalled and out of breath as the words just kept on flowing from her lips, a pink tinge coating her cheekbones as she breathed heavily.

"You have no right to say that," Sakura replied calmly, taking another sip from her coffee. "You don't even know why I left in the first place-"

"Exactly my point!" Akane exclaimed, "You left without a word, Sakura. And now you expect us to welcome you with open arms?"

"Akane, I know that what I did was terrible. I, myself, could not believe I could do such a thing. But you have no right to judge me and my decision because you do not know the circumstances under which I made them,"

"Then what are those 'circumstances', hmm?" she asked impatiently with air quotes, mocking the way the model took the matter so lightly.

"I didn't feel I was good enough,"

Whoa.

Rewind.

"What?" Akane asked, a confused look plastering itself onto her face, "Not good enough? Why in the world would you think that?"

"I don't know…" she said with a sad sigh, "I just did. I felt as though I couldn't make him as happy as he deserved to be. I see you two working so hard then I think back to how I live my life and think, 'wow, I'm a brat'. Which is why I left…" she finished with a sad smile.

Akane stayed silent a second, trying to digest the words she was hearing from her ex-friend, "What's the connection of you being a brat have to do with leaving?"

"I wanted to make my own name. I wanted to earn my own money. I wanted to be someone Ruo would be proud of, someone who worked just as hard as he did," she said determinedly, a fierce look appearing on her face, "That's why I left. Trust me, if you thought it was painful for yourselves, it was doubled for me. It killed me to have to leave you guys, but I promised myself to come back only when I became someone better."

"Why…why didn't you just tell us? We never even ashamed of you," Akane stated sadly, most of her anger being replaced with sadness- sadness because she lost a best friend for something so…juvenile and unnecessary.

"It would have been harder for me to leave," Sakura replied.

The two were now caught in a silence, the tension so thick it could be cut with a butter knife. Akane played with the her skirt softly before rolling her eyes and jumping across the table, her arms locking around the older woman's body.

"I've missed you, Sakura," she said, her voice muffled against the blonde's sleeve. Sakura looked dazed for a second, before a serene smile appeared just as she stroked the red head's wild tresses soothingly.

"I've missed you too, Akane."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"So, what about that waiter I caught giving you the puppy dog eyes?" Sakura asked with a knowing smile, "I think he likes you, Kane-chan,"

Akane choked on the remains of her donut as she replied panicky, "N-no he didn't, are you crazy?" she asked with a roll of her eyes, "I think you need to get your eyes checked,"

"Oh please," she said with a scoff, "And that little in joke you had? C'mon, what was that?" she laughed happily, nudging the shorter girl's shoulder.

"Umm…well," Akane blushed slightly, recalling what Koji had said to her. _I just saw it as an excuse to come and talk to you…_

"You're blushing, Kane-chan!" Sakura laughed loudly, pointing directly at the red head's equally red cheeks, "You like him, don't you!?"

"I do not," Akane said, looking baffled by the mere suggestion, "And he's like what, eighteen? Nineteen?" she guessed incredulously, her arms flailing around every which way, "I'm no cradle robber!" she exclaimed with a huff as a lock of her hair dangled in between her eyes.

"Right," Sakura said with a perfectly shaped eyebrow raised, "What_ever_ you say, Kane-chan,"

"Oh, shut up," Akane giggled, pushing the blonde lightly.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Nii-chan!" Akane called through the door as she pulled off her boots, Sakura in tow. "Nii-chan? You here? I need to talk to you-" Akane's shrill call was stopped as Sakura put a hand to her lips. When the red head gave her a weird look, the model pointed over to the couch where a small tuft of dark hair was seen.

The two girls smiled softly, the only one approached the couch. Akane watched as Sakura padded softly across the floor, her heart softening at the touching scene.

_I hope I made the right decision, _she thought to herself, and made a left turn to the direction of her room.

"Akane," Sakura whispered softly, making said red head turn back to look at her confusedly. Sakura mouthed out 'Thank you', and with a quick nod from the younger Yoshikuni, sat down at the foot of the couch.

Akane smiled softly, knowing deep inside that the decision she had made was indeed the right one.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Sakura gently brushed away the few locks of hair that fell softly across Ruo's face, the sight of seeing him so…at peace, it calmed her. "Ruo," she called out softly, not really knowing whether it was in an attempt of waking him up or if she just wanted to know what his name felt like on her lips.

And oh, how it felt right. It felt…perfect.

The older Yoshikuni stirred slightly in his sleep, causing Sakura to stiffen her hand and move it away from his face. She was more than surprised though when a hand jutted from underneath the blanket and caught her wrist, placing it back softly against his face.

"Sakura," he murmured softly in his sleep, "Never leave…never again," he sighed out sleepily.

"Never," Sakura whispered back, a few pearls of her own tears falling quietly, "Never again, Ruo," she whispered as she collected his body in a tight embrace.

Slowly, Ruo's arms came around Sakura's much smaller body- pulling her tighter into his own body warmth, "I love you, Sakura,"

"I love you too, Ruo," Sakura sobbed out, several more tears falling which ended up wetting the top of Ruo's dark shirt, "So much,"

The dark haired archer laughed softly and inhaled the scent of the blonde's hair, "Does this mean we're together again?"

"Please don't ruin the moment," Sakura muttered out jokingly, lifting her head up in order to lock eyes with the witty man. "I love you," she said seriously, the twinkle in her eye that Ruo knew all too well appearing in what seemed to be a long time.

"And I you," he replied, leaning forward and capturing her lips for a chaste kiss.

Akane watched from across the room through a crack in her door as she witnessed her newly reconciled friend and brother share a kiss. She smiled solemnly and slowly shut her door, letting her back slide down the cool wood. Soon, the room was filled with sorrowful sobs that sliced through the deafening silence eating away at the dark room.

_Tsubasa…_

_**End of Chapter 12**_

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

A/N: And there you have it. Review, review, review, yeah? `Til next time.


	13. Dreading the Reunion

**A/N: ***dodges tomatoes* Eeh, onto the…thankiies? ._. *dodge* Haha! *smack* Shit.

**Thanks To:**

**-my-forgotten-rose- - **Oh dear, it has been a long time hasn't it. *sigh*

**SakuraDagger15** – You are very much loved. :) Thank you!

**SarahELupin** - *whistle* I dunnooo…

**watergoddesskasey** – Thank you! :)

**PersonOfDeath02** – Oh, I see. The '02' gave it away. :D

**Princesscupcakes** – I'm afraid Tsubasa isn't going to be elaborated on for another few chapters. I apologize! But I promise it would be so worth it. :)

**Shnitzel** – Your penname is making me hungry. :'( Haha! Anyway, wow! Three claps for you! *clap clap clap* Now YOUR review is the kind I've been waiting for all these months. You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. Anyway, since I fear the almighty-ness of *dun dun dun* ninja-pirates *insert gasp*, here's the next chapter! :)

**A Special Thanks To:**

**VivaLaAmber, VampCraze1, viwy09, EdwardRocks17, and Shnitzel **for adding this story to their Favorite Stories list; **VampCraze1, The-Kiwi-Lover **(I LOVE kiwis too!)**, EdwardRocks17, Princesscupcakes, NotSupposedToBeHere, Tomboyzrock, Shnitzel, and kakashi92 **for adding this story to their Alerts list; and **EdwardRocks17 **for adding yours truly to their Favorite Authors list. :)

You all are loved very, very much!

Enjoy!

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

**Chapter 13: Dreading the Reunion**

"Sigh…" Akane let out a cold puff of breath as she exhaled loudly. Ruo twitched at the irritating sound, the hand holding his bow's cleaning cloth clenching tightly. _I swear, if she sighs _one_ more time,_Ruo thought to himself irritably. His upcoming competition was nearing, and the pressure of being one of the contestants was taking a toll on his usual care free persona.

'Sigh…" the red-head exhaled loudly again as she rested her cheeks, tinted red by the cold air, on her palm.

"God dammit, stop sighing, Akane." Ruo hissed out angrily, a vein pumping on the corner of his forehead. Akane looked up at where her older brother was sitting. Her hair was held in a high ponytail that day, her growing bangs hanging carelessly over the top of her eyes. She blew the red strands of hair away and gave a loud scoff.

"Jeez, what's got your panties in a knot?"

The vein only throbbed harder as Ruo's knuckles turned white from gripping the cleaning cloth tightly. At this point, Akane wouldn't be surprised if the poor white cloth disintegrated in his grip right there and then.

"It's your insane sighing every ten seconds that's bothering me," he answered seriously, his dark eyebrows kneading. He pinched the bridge of his nose and took a few calming breaths, a sign that he really wasn't in the mood to be disturbed. Akane knew that.

"I'm sorry, Nii-chan. I'm just really bothered," Akane refrained from sighing as she let her head drop to the cold wood of their kitchen table, "The stupid high school reunion is coming up, you see…" she continued, her voice muffled by her lips smooshed against the wood.

"Really?" Ruo perked up at the mention of Akane's reunion, "That means Sakura will be attending, right?"

Akane raised her head and smiled softly at her brother's reaction to the blonde's name. Ever since she and Sakura had patched up their friendship, Ruo and Sakura eased out their relationship too. And obviously, everything was going very smoothly. She hasn't seen her brother this happy in a long time.

"Yes, Nii-chan," she giggled lightly, "Your wovey-dovey Sakuwa will be going as well," she teased with little kiss-y faces. Ruo did nothing but chuckle at this. Turning serious, Ruo sighed a little as he placed the abused cloth and his precious bow down on the table.

"I don't see why you're depressed over a reunion. I thought you were into these kinds of things?" Ruo asked as he folded his long arms over his broad chest, "What's got you so bummed now?"

"BYOD," she stressed out with a growl.

Ruo blinked confusedly, "BYO…D?"

"Bring your own frikkin' date," she explained with a frustrated tone and rested her face on the table again, softly this time. "Who in the world would I bring to something like that?" she asked no one in particular as she closed her hands over her ears, as if shielding the problem from entering her mind.

"You could just not go, you know," Ruo suggested with a light shrug.

Akane raised her head to look up at her older brother, a scandalized expression on her face, "But…"

"Listen, Kane-chan, if you think finding a date would be too much trouble, then why don't you just skip out on this event?" Ruo asked again, picking up his equipment and returning it to its carrying case. "No event, no problem," he finished his suggestion with a nod and a clicking sound as the case of his bow closed softly, "Right?"

Akane attempted to hide her disappointment and gave a small smile of defeat, "I guess so," she stood up from the table and headed towards the apartment's living room, "Anyway, I'll go out for a walk, okay?" she exited the kitchen quietly and grabbed the first coat, boots, and gloves she found.

Ruo followed his younger sister with his eyes, sighing as he saw the obvious disappointment on her face, "Damn BYODs," he muttered to himself as he lifted his bow's case from the table and retreated to his room.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Akane walked slowly towards the nearby park, her gloved hands buried deep inside the cream colored coat. Her breath came out as white fog and she unconsciously shivered as the cold December air blew against her body.

_Come to think of it…_ Akane thought softly. "This is where Hatori-san and I first met," she whispered to herself quietly and giggled as that fateful day's events replayed itself in her mind. She reached the pedestrian lane and took a step off the sidewalk. Akane cautiously looked both ways and after seeing no oncoming cars, made her way across the street with a skip in each step and a small laugh bubbling in her stomach.

_I can't believe how much happened when they arrived in our lives, _she thought with a shake of the head, "Those Sohmas…are something,"

"I know we are,"

Akane visibly jumped ten feet high at the sudden voice from behind her. Well, not really. But you get it.

She turned so fast that the risk of her neck breaking was high, and held her hands outward in a defensive position, "Who's there?" Akane shouted at the shadows, the lack of illumination obscuring her view of the mysterious new comer's face.

"It's just me, Yoshikuni-san," the man's deep voice said and finally, stepped out of the shadows.

"Hatori-san…" the red-head sighed with relief, letting her…err, threatening hand down to her side, "You scared the crap out of me," Akane said with a frown, placing a hand over her heart as the doctor approached her.

"I apologize," Hatori said with an apologetic nod, "I just saw you on your way here and…" _Now that I think about it, what am I doing here? _Hatori stopped mid-sentence as the thought entered his head. Luckily, Akane didn't seem to notice his lack of an excuse.

"Just don't come up behind me like that," Akane reprimanded with a frown, "And with your brooding looks and freaky long hair I might have mistaken you for some psycho stalker," she said, more light-heartedly this time.

Hatori saw no humor in the joke.

"Right," Akane muttered with a sweat drop.

"Anyway," Hatori continued with his eyebrow raised, "What in the world are you doing here at this time?" he asked as he walked passed the red-head and took a seat on one of the many near-by benches. Akane blinked blandly before following the doctor to the bench.

"Well, I just wanted to let go of some bad thoughts," she said recalling her disappointment about not being able to go to her high school's reunion, "And besides," she added as a-matter-of-factly, "It isn't even dark yet."

Hatori looked towards the horizon and observed the orange and red splattered sky, announcing the sun about to set. "I know, but still," he said emptily.

Akane made no comment at this and just stared at the sky with him, "I can't go to this reunion I was excited for…" she muttered dejectedly.

"And why exactly can't you attend?" Hatori asked, giving Akane a curious look.

Akane blushed at his question. _Great, now he'll think I have a hard time getting dates…_Akane sighed mentally and gave Hatori a blank stare, "I can't go 'cause a date…is…" Akane's explanation drifted as she continued burning holes into his face with her eyes.

"Y-Yoshikuni-san…?" Hatori blinked at her, a little bit scared of the mischievous glimmer that suddenly appeared in her eyes. "I do not like that look on your face."

"Hatori-san, what are you doing tomorrow night?" the young woman leaned over to the tall doctor, her face so close to his own that her cold breath hit his hard facial features. "You free?"

Hatori leaned back at the dangerous proximity of the red-haired vixen, "No." Akane's eyes froze a little before she broke out into a loud ringing of laughter.

"I see, I see," she muttered, wiping an invisible tear from her eye, "Alright-y then, I guess it's up to either Shigure or Ayame then," Akane sighed a little. "I was hoping for the sane one too…" she glanced back at Hatori, dramatic tears glistening in her green pools, "But…I guess I'd have to take one of them instead," a few tears fell, "Since you're busy…" a sniff, "…and all."

"It's not working, Yoshikuni-san,"

Akane snapped her fingers frustrated, "Darn, I knew I should have taken acting lessons instead of violin!"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Thanks for the ride, Hatori-san," Akane waved at the doctor as he drove away from the façade of the apartment complex. She frowned a little as she pushed the door open, though appreciative of the warm sensation tingling over her cold-stricken body. The young woman pulled out her cell phone from her coat pocket and dialed Shigure's house number.

After a few rings, someone finally answered, "_Hello?"_

"Hello, may I please speak to Shigure? Tell him it's Akane." the red-head responded over the mouthpiece as she ran to catch the elevator, "If he isn't busy that is. If he is, kick him, then tell him it's me." she continued with a small snicker.

A soft masculine chuckle was the reply she got, _"Very well, Yoshikuni-san,"_

"Ah, Yuki-kun!" she exclaimed as she exited the elevator once she reached her floor, "It's good to hear from you, how are you?"

"_I'm quite fine, thank you. Oh,"_ he said suddenly. After a small shuffle on the other line, the teenager's voice came back, _"Shigure is here."_

"Was any kicking needed?" Akane asked, her voice a little _too_ hopeful to be one of concern.

"_Sadly, no."_

"Darn," she replied with a click of her tongue, "Anyway, thanks Yuki-kun."

Another shuffle.

"_Aaaah, Kane-chan!"_ Shigure's exuberant voice sounded over the line, "_To what do I owe the pleasure of hearing your oh-so-wonderful voice this particular evening?"_

"Listen up you dog," she chuckled a little, "Are you free tomorrow?"

"_Why, yes, I believe I am!"_ he replied excitedly, _"Is little Kane-chan asking me on a date?"_ Akane sweat dropped as she entered her apartment door, she could practically see his sly expression over the phone.

"I suppose I am," Akane said with a sigh, "Will you? Please? I'm desperate."

Shigure babbled loudly, _"Why, Akane…"_ he sniffed loudly as he shouted over the phone, _"Are you saying I'm a last resort?"_ he cried dramatically, his hand pounding on…Akane didn't really care.

"Yes,"

"_Oh, you meanie,"_ Shigure whimpered, "But fine, for a fine creature such as yourself, I'd gladly be the last resort!"

Akane rolled her eyes before smiling widely, "Thank you, Shigure-san,"

"_Anytime, anytime,"_

Akane pressed the 'end' button and flopped on the couch. She exhaled deeply before kicking off her boots and pulling her gloves from her stiff fingers, "I'm going," Akane muttered to herself as she stretched her arms over her head with a wide smile, "Yay."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Akane looked at herself doubtfully in the mirror. Her black mini-dress and pumps were all good, but something was missing. Her eyes trailed over her hair, falling over her back and shoulders in thick waves, no jewelry save for a thin silver bracelet Ruo had given her for her 18th birthday. The black dress was very simple, it hugged her body perfectly and ended just a few inches above her knee.

Everything was simple that night, so what was missing?

Her eyes trailed over to her bed, the long velvet box she had once hurled across the room as if it had been the worst of the worst now sitting there innocently in a small corner under her bed. She walked over to the bed and reached under it, a jolt of electricity passing through her hand once connecting it with box's soft exterior. Akane pulled the box out from under the bed and lifted the cover up, the small diamond glinting against the light.

"I'm sorry for tossing it so carelessly…" she whispered as a few tears escaped her closed eyes. She unlatched the clasp of the necklace and placed it over her neck.

_I can't… _ Akane stifled a sob as she place the necklace back in its box, her hand reaching up to cover her mouth as more sobs racked her body.

"Kane-chan!" Ruo called as he opened the door and stumbled in carelessly, a playful smirk taking place on his lips, "Someone's here to-" the happiness in Ruo's voice seemed to die out as he saw the current state of his sister. "Akane are you, okay?" Ruo ran to her from across the room and held her by her shoulders, "Why are you crying?"

"Nii-chan…" she mumbled out in between tears. It was then that Ruo found what Akane had been holding in her hand, he stared shell-shocked at it before shaking himself back into his senses.

"Akane," he said seriously, prying the long box from her fingers and placing it on the nearby desk, "You don't have to. If you can't…you don't have to force yourself." he said pulling the small girl into a tight hug, "Not yet."

Akane nodded after a few minutes and moved back to wipe her eyes, "I'm sorry,"

Ruo smiled sadly at her than ruffled her hair a little, "I came up here to say that your date is here, or rather, your dates." he said grabbing a hold of her hand and pulling her out of her room. "But if you want I can just tell then you aren't feeling well…?" he asked softly, looking unsurely at the box that still sat on the desk.

"No, no," Akane said as she wiped a few more tears, "I'll go- wait." the red-head stopped walking as she gave her older brother an incredulous look, "Did you just say _'dates'_?"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Loud music burst into Akane's ears as the loud club-like songs played from the speakers beside her. She looked over at Shigure and Ayame, yes, Shigure AND Ayame, not just Shigure—the one she had invited—nope, there just _had_ to be an 'and Ayame' after that.

_Why…why, oh, why? _She hissed at herself as she banged her head a few times on the table. She looked over at the two Sohmas, a traumatized expression inhabiting her face as she witnessed them dance crazily to the upbeat music.

_Bang, bang, bang._

"Yoshikuni-san," Akane snapped her head to glare at the tall man sitting next to her. "You might get even more mentally inept than you already are if you keep on banging your head like that."

"You," the red-head growled out menacingly, "I. Blame. You."

Hatori raised a slim eyebrow at her, "And why would you blame me of all people? I'm not the one dancing right now, am I?" The younger Yoshikuni thrust a long finger at his direction on poked him in the chest harshly.

"If you didn't lie about being busy and just accompany me, they wouldn't have had to come!"

Hatori stared at her blandly before giving and idle shrug, "Hn, I suppose it is my fault."

Akane's hands curled precariously around an invisible neck and wrung it out angrily, the fire in her eyes blazing almost as red as her hair, "I will _murder_ you!" Just as she made an attempt at going for the stoic doctor's neck, two pairs of hands latched around her arms and pulled her back.

"Come on, Kane-chan!" Ayame's obnoxious voice wormed its way into my ear, "Let's dance!"

Akane stuttered as she was pulled away from Hatori and down to the dance floor, the snake and dog completely ignoring her shouts of complaints. Once they reached the dance floor, the two started going wild and throwing their hands every which way, but strangely enough, they didn't look silly at all. Akane looked nervously at them both as she stood stiffly in between them.

"I don't know how to dance," the red-head confessed as she moved backwards to the small corner she had found solace in. Well, the solace she can find with the speakers blasting in her ears. "So I think I'll just sit down and umm…drink. Yeah, drink. That sounds good," Akane turned on her heel and made a bee-line for the chair beside the stiff still doctor.

"Ah, ah, ah!" Shigure pulled at Akane's arm and pulled her into his arms. Akane's breath caught in her throat and stared up at Shigure's tall frame, "We'll teach you how to, won't we Ayame?" the dog teased slyly as he gave a smirk to his silver haired friend.

"Why yes, Shigure," Ayame matched Shigure's smirk with his own and gripped on Akane's free hand and pulled her towards him, "We are excellent teachers!"

Akane stiffened at their closeness. _Personal bubble…personal bub- _"Eek!" the young woman exclaimed as the two Sohmas thrust her hands from side to side, her feet moving in unison in order to keep her balance.

"Wait you guys," Akane complained as Shigure pulled her closer then pushed her away again, "I _really_ don't know how to dance," she complained as Ayame lifted her off the ground and twirled her in the air. As she was turned round and round, she saw a woman approach Hatori from the corner of her eye. As the silver haired snake reconnected her feet with the floor, she turned around to glance at the corner the quiet doctor was in.

It would have been an understatement to say that she was shocked when she saw a small smile grace the man's lips. She looked up at the girl and recognized her instantly, the short dark hair in small loose ringlets and the pouty lips turning upward, no doubt to give Hatori a flirtatious smile.

_So she of all people is the one hitting on him. Hn, so what? _Akane shrugged off the feeling of jealousy as shock of seeing the doctor smile and turned to look at her dance partners, "Well? Let's dance, boys!"

The song changed to a sultry electronic beat that Shigure and Ayame instantly adjusted to. Akane slowly got the idea of dancing, and began moving in between the two on her own accord.

"Go get this feisty little demon some drinks, Ayame!" Shigure shouted over the loud drumming of the speakers, "It looks like the party's about to start!"

"Hell yeah, it is!" Akane shouted back, throwing her head back and laughing loudly as she jutted her hips side to side in time with music. When Ayame came back with drinks for all three of them, Akane downed hers in one gulp. She laughed at the shocked looks on the men's faces then collided her hips with theirs', not really caring about the future consequences of her present actions.

'_I can have fun sometimes too, right?' _was Akane's last coherent thought before giving in to the alcohol's strong influence.

"Paaaaarty!"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Hi there, Mr. Fishy…" Akane muttered as she stroked the head of the brass fish fountain lovingly, "Say, do you happen to know a Hatori Sohma?" she stayed quiet for a while as if waiting for the fish to answer, "Really? Oh! How wonderful, I'll tell him to visit you and your Uncle Lenny sometime!"

"Kane-chan?" Sakura asked disbelievingly. "Are you drunk?" she asked taken in her friend's dishelved hair, slightly torn dress and her pumps not on her feet, but clutched in her hands. Sakura crinkled her nose slightly. _This floor is disgusting, Kane-chan…jeez._

"I dunnnooo!" Akane sing-songed with a snicker as she patted the fish on the head.

"How much did you drink, Kane-chan?"

"I lost count at…" she held up her fingers in front of her face and curled and uncurled them as if she was counting. Sakura stared blankly when Akane's eyes crossed as she 'concentrated'. "I lost count at thirteen," Akane snickered then escalated it into hysterical laughter, as if she had said the funniest thing in the world.

"But you don't drink, Kane-chan," Sakura stated with an eyebrow raised, ducking as the drunken woman swung her hands around with the black pumps in hand, the heels threatening to poke the model's eyes out.

"Meeeeh," Akane waved it of with a hand, "There's an everything for the first-timers…or…no…was it…first everything for good timers?" she asked herself then laughed the 'riddle' off, "Whatever, more drinks anyone?!" she asked the crowd randomly, no one particularly hearing her offer.

"Okay, that's it," Sakura sighed as she gripped the redhead's thin arm and dragged her off to the crowd, "We're getting you to Hatori," she muttered as she maneuvered her way through the gyrating crowd, "And put your shoes on, Akane!"

"Heee…" Akane giggled softly as she slipped on the heels, "Whatever you say, Sa-ku-ra-chaaaaan!"

Sakura felt relieved when she finally spotted the three Sohmas over at the bar counter.

"- she just disappeared all of a sudden!" Shigure shouted in a panicked tone as he pulled at his hair, "What if some freak brought her home!?! Or what if she's passed out somewhere?! Oh God, oh no, oh no!"

"Is anyone missing a redhead?" the model called out as she neared the three worry-stricken men, "I found her about to make out with some fish fountain," she stated blankly as she held up said girl's hand.

"Heeeey, Mr. Fishy doesn't like being called a fountain," she argued with a small frown, "It hurts his feelings," she sniffed and rubbed her eyes as tears began to fall. "You're all so meaaaaan!"

"Alright, that's it," Sakura held her friend by the shoulders and pushed her towards Hatori's chest. The doctor quickly stepped aside to avoid a sudden transformation and flinched as the redhead crashed into the side of the bar's counter. Sakura sighed as she helped the drunk woman up, "You guys got her drunk, you fix her," she said with her hands on her hips, "I'll call in the morning to see how she's doing," And with a wave of her hand, she bid them farewell.

"But, wait!" Ayame called before the model disappeared in the crowd. He sighed remorsefully, "I guess it's up to you guys then…" Hatori shot him a stone cold look and pushed the crying woman towards the other two.

"You two deal with her, you're the ones that got her drunk enough to talk to a _fountain_," Hatori hissed out as the two made calming hand gestures.

"Mr. Fishy!" Akane sobbed out as more tears spilled over her cheeks. She kneeled in front of the doctor and started exclaiming loudly, "It's not Mr. Fishy's fault! Please! Take me instead!" she shouted as she opened her arms widely in a 'self sacrificing' manner.

Hatori sighed and picked the girl up from the floor, "You two go get the car. If I leave her here you'd just lose her again," Shigure and Ayame snuck secret glances at each other and nodded at the doctor.

"Right!"

The dark haired doctor stared at the sobbing girl in front of him, "Yoshikuni-san…" Akane looked up at the doctor when she heard her name and smiled widely at him.

"You're pretty," she said.

Then fainted.

Hatori moved his hands quickly to the small of her back and held her carefully away from his body, "This is…hard."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The three finally got Akane to lie quietly in the backseat of the car, her head resting on Ayame's lap. Shigure complained from the front seat, "Eeh, why does Ayame get to stay with Kane-chan?"

"Oh, don't worry my dear Shigure, you'll have me all to yourself once we get home," the snake said as he gave Shigure a longing look.

"My, that sounds wonderful my love…"

…

"Yes!"

Hatori rolled his eyes at the two as he pressed on the accelerator, "You two just shut up. You got me in enough trouble as it already is," he said as he pinched the bridge of his nose, announcing of his current annoyance of his two friends.

"Well no one forced you to go," Shigure pointed out as he gave the doctor a smirk, "Admit it, you like Kane-chan, don't you?"

"You shoved the key in my hand, pushed me into the car and told me to go to Yoshikuni-san's house, how is that _not_ forcing?" Hatori countered Shigure as he looked at him then to Ayame using the rear-view mirror.

"Ah, but Ha'ri, since when did _you_ listen to _us_?" Ayame asked with a successful smile.

Hatori had no answer to this so he just let out a sigh, "I do not have any feelings towards Yoshikuni-san whatsoever, so please, just let me drive." He replied with an almost pleading look.

_Almost._

Ayame held his hands up defensively and retreated back to looking out the window. _She'd be good for you…Ha'ri._

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"I do not have any feelings towards Yoshikuni-san whatsoever, so please, just let me drive."

That was all Akane needed to hear, she clenched her eyes shut and rolled her face into the soft fabric covering the lap she had been lying on. She tried ignoring the pounding sensation that had begun to attack her head with, yet strange enough, that wasn't the pain that was bothering her at that moment.

_**End Chapter 13**_

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

**A/N: **I want my PTM reviewers! :D


	14. Assisting the Model

**A/N: **Dear Lord, too much drama in the last chapter. ._.

**Thanks To:**

**The Guardian**** of ****Oblivion**** – **Wait no more, my dear! Bwahaha!

**-my-forgotten-rose- **- Yes it is sad,I hate writing angst. *sigh* Thanks for the review. :D

**Shnitzel – **You iz a Pinay? :D *ecstatic* Yayz! 8D Hee, the plot bunnies are going crazy in my head and I don't know which of them should I include the explanation of the necklace in. D: Thanks for the review! *hug*

**ZeroPanda – **Teehee. I have been resurrected. :D Actually, ever since I started updating again, I've been watching a lot more anime lately. So you (and other readers) can expect more categories inhabiting my account. 8D

Enjoy!

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

**Chapter 14: Assisting the Model**

_Ring ring!_

Akane groaned in her sleep and rolled over to the other side of the bed. She turned in the tangles of her bedsheets and lay down on her stomach, pulling the thick pillow over her ears to block out the loud ringing of her phone.

_Ring ring!_

The loud shrieking of her phone continued to pierce through the air of the previously tranquil room. Akane cursed lightly as she sat up on her bed, rubbing her eyes in attempt to pull herself out of her sleepy state. She peered at the clock hanging on her room's wall.

_8:30…_ The red head's short thoughts were cut short as the angry pounding of a million fists in her head made her collapse back to the softness of the bed. _Dear Lord. _She thought

"My head…" she groaned as the shrill ringing continued. She reached over to snatch her phone from the desk and flipped it open. Her eyes almost rolled to the back of her head when she saw a large 'Sakura' flashing on the screen. Summoning up all of the strength she had left, she pressed the 'answer' button.

"Sakura. This better be important," the red-head mumbled through the complaints of her pounding head.

"_It is, actually," _the model's cheerful voice rang through the speakers, causing Akane to wince at the loudness of it, _"How's your hangover?"_

"Horrible," she replied blankly, "Never ever drinking again."

The model chuckled at the naivety of her friend. Akane whined softly at the loud sound as she pressed a hand to her temple as if to stop the shrill ringing in her ears.

"Ever."

"Well no one told you to drink as much as you did," Sakura scolded her friend softly, "You only have yourself to blame."

"Oh, whatever," Akane muttered as she got up from the soft confines of the mattress, her feet hitting the soft carpeted floor with a thump. "I doubt you called here just to check upon me, what do you need?"

"My agency is short two models, Kane-chan," Sakura said, the playful suggestion rolling of her tongue, "And since you're my bestest friend ever,"

"No," Akane replied bluntly.

"_But Kane-chaaaaan!"_ Sakura whined, making said red head hold the phone away from her ear, _"Please? You'd be doing a really big favor me, it'll be just a few hours, I promise. _Please_? For _me?" the model asked with a pleading tone. Akane sighed and rubbed her temples thoughtfully, padding outside her room's door to find Ruo and some painkillers.

"But who would be your other model? Didn't you need two?"

Sakura smirked a little on the other line, _"Leave that part to me."_

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

_I can't believe I'm doing this._

Akane stared up at the big commercial building, the feeling of dread and anxiety slowly creeping up her body. "I'm an idiot for agreeing to do this…"

"Yes, we all know that."

Akane turned to look at the stranger's voice, shocked to see Hatori Sohma himself standing behind her. The young vet turned model stood with hr jaw hanging open as she pointed to Hatori then to the building then back to Hatori.

"What are you doing here?" she asked slowly as the shock wore off. She was literally freezing in the winter air, and even though 'dress lightly' was what Sakura had instructed, her outfit somehow ended up being _too_ light thus providing the woman with practically no protection from the piercing cold.

"Yamamoto-san," Hatori coughed a little embarrassedly, not believing that he had actually complied to do the bidding of the golden-haired model, "…required assistance." He finished lamely, his eyes darting from Akane's amused green eyes to the snow showered floor.

"Wait," Akane held a hand up disbelievingly, "_You're _the other model?" she stared at the doctor a second longer then burst into hysterical fits of laughter. "Oh my God, how'd she do it? Bribery? Blackmail? A threat maybe?" she coughed out in between spits of laughter. She clutched at her stomach and wiped a tear that escaped from her clenched eyes. Hatori raised an eyebrow at her and ran a hand through his long hair.

"I don't think you need to know," he replied flatly before walking over to the building's door, "Let's go, you don't look clothed enough to stand the cold any longer."

Akane peered down at her attire and smiled, her laughter having brought some warmth to her shivering body, "Alright-y then."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"…maybe we should just try the Victorian ensemble," Sakura's delicate voice sounded through the door. Akane and Hatori glanced at each other a final time, as if rooting each other on before pushing the tinted glass door open. Akane peered inside the room through the crack of the door and called out softly, "Sakura?"

The model turned to face the door and smiled widely as she saw the familiar red hair, "Kane-chan! It's about time you got here, did you happen to see-" Sakura's question was cut off as Akane opened the door wider and stepped inside, allowing the larger figure behind her to be revealed. Sakura's smile grew tenfold as she ushered the two in, "Ah, perfect! Well, let me introduce you to everyone."

Akane laughed as the excited blonde pulled Hatori and her all around the room, shouting random names and positions as they passed one staff member after another. The young girl bowed at each of them politely, sometimes handing out handshakes for the foreign staff members. Akane hit Hatori with her elbow when he responded to each of the introductions with blank looks, "At least smile a little," she said while pointing her head at the man Sakura had introduce as Yu Ryuji, the photographer of the day's shoot.

Hatori peered down at the red head then turned to look back at the man in front of him, "Hello."

Akane felt a bead of sweat roll down the side of her head at the less than warm salutation of the doctor and decided to continue for him, "We're very honored to be working with you and everyone else today," she recited politely with a small bow. "We'll do our best."

The middle-aged man smiled brightly, his graying hair slicked back exposing his widow's peek. He returned the bow and moved closer to Akane and Hatori, giving both of them a scrutinizing gaze. A hand went to his chin to stroke his chin, his small eyes shrinking even more as he squinted at the two doctors.

"Have you ever considered taking up modeling as a full-time career?" he asked suddenly, surprising Hatori and Akane. "You two have beautiful bone structures!"

Akane took a step backwards as Ryuji moved closer to examine her cheekbones. _"_Ehh…" she stuttered out nervously, raising her hands up modestly, "I don't think this job is meant to be for me," Hatori looked at Akane then back to the older man, nodding in agreement.

Ryuji sighed dejectedly then turned to pull Sakura out of her conversation with one of the make-up artists, "Sakura, my dear, bring these two to hair and make-up?" Sakura grinned and followed the instructions, immediately grabbing Hatori and Akane by their upper arms and dragging them to another direction.

"Okay, you guys!" Sakura said excitedly, facing them with her hands on her hips, "Your first shoot will be a sort of 'love-y dove-y romance-y' kind of thing," she elaborated with stars in her eyes, as if having a private viewing of the soon to come photoshoot in her mind. "So look happy and in love!" And with that, she pushed the two to sit on two separate chairs and called for a couple of stylists to come over.

"I'll leave them to you then," Sakura stated to the stylist, giving them all winks, "Make them so beautiful they'd fall for each other in a heartbeat."

Hatori sighed at the model's antics and slouched in his chair, "I cannot believe I agreed to this." he muttered to himself as the make-up artist began dabbing some sticky concoction on his face.

Akane glanced at him through the corner of her eyes and resisted the urge to laugh, "You're wearing make-up, Hatori-san!" Said man glared at her through his visible eye, though one eye having as much intensity as two. Akane chuckled lightly then kept silent for the next few hours of having her make-up and hair done.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Hatori, Akane and Sakura had their make-up and hair done in a span of one hour and fifteen minutes. Akane winced as she got a knot out of her neck with a soft crick, sitting in a chair while holding her head in the same position wasn't exactly comfortable. She rubbed her neck a little as Sakura guided all three of them to one of the big room's back corners.

There, three racks were standing in a line, several hangers of clothing hanging from each. Sakura dived to the rack with 'Sakura' written on a piece of paper and hung from the corner and rummaged through it hanger-by-hanger. When she noticed Hatori and Akane standing stiff, she beckoned them over with a hand. "These are our outfits for the day's shoot,"

Akane walked towards her rack and looked skeptically at each outfit. "Are we going to have to model _all_ of these?"

"Don't be silly, of course not!" Sakura said with a chuckle, "There are three themes; a casual winter escapade, formal attire, then a contemporary piece." The two of them gave the blonde clueless stares as a reply. Sakura sighed softly then elaborated, "Pick three outfits that fit the theme,"

Akane's mouth formed an 'o' and turned back to her rack. She shifted through the hanger and after a few minutes gave a frustrated sigh, "They're all too flashy…" the redhead looked over her shoulder and to the doctor who stood idly beside his rack, not even attempting to look through his options. "Hey, Hatori-san, aren't you picking your outfits yet?"

Hatori looked up at her then frowned, "This is degrading."

Akane shook her head then walked over to the man's rack. She pulled one hanger aside then another then another then finally stopped at a white long sleeved button up shirt. She gave a 'hmm' and tilted her head to the side to examine it. She smiled and removed it from the rack, holding it up to the doctor's body. After a few seconds, she gave a definite nod. "Use this one for the casual attire with…" she faced the rack again and shuffled through the many different articles of clothing, "…this." She said with a proud smile, pulling out simple straight-cut dark blue jeans.

She shoved it into the tall man's arms and shooed him to one of the dressing rooms, "Go fit it." Hatori collected the clothing in his arms then retreated one of the curtained cubicles.

Akane turned back to her rack of clothing and pulled out a champagne colored frilly top and a black high-waisted skirt. _I suppose this will do for the casual one…_

"Found anything yet, Kane-chan?" Akane jumped at her friend's sudden appearance beside her and held a hand out to steady herself, "Whoops," Sakura giggled, "Sorry 'bout that."

Akane looked back to the two pieces in her hands and held it out for Sakura to see. Sakura examined each of the articles of clothing then smiled approvingly, "Very nice. Go try it out?"

"Have you chosen your outfits yet?" Akane questioned the professional model as she gathered her belongings and shoved it in a random corner. Sakura smiled and nodded happily, "Yep! I don't need to try it on since they're all fitted for me anyway." Akane gave an understanding nod then walked to one of the cubicles.

"I'll go try this out then."

Just as Akane pulled back one of the curtains, the one beside her coiled sideways to reveal a dressed Hatori. He was wearing the white polo she had chosen, the top button left undone and un-tucked. The dark blue jeans fit his slim legs perfectly and Akane couldn't help but ogle a little. Hatori noticed the spot of red beside him and turned to look into the young woman's green eyes.

"Well?" he asked, spreading his arms wide and giving a half turn, "Is your fashion sense as good as you presume it to be?"

Akane snapped out of her Hatori-ogling state and gave him a cold stare, "It suits you." She then marched into her own cubicle and drew the curtain shut. She stared at herself in the mirror the small space was provided with then noticed the small redness rising from her neck. _He looked good._

Shaking the thoughts away she pulled her shirt over her head and tried on her first outfit.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"God dammit!" Akane shouted as she fell over her tangled feet, the black skirt stuck on her hips, "Damn these freaky thin models!" she cussed as she attempted to pull the skirt down. The top she had chosen had a bust size to big for her own while the skirt's waistline was to narrow to pull over her hips. She threw the offending piece of clothing to a corner and pulled on her shorts and turtleneck, not bothering to wear her tights and boots anymore.

She stomped out of the dressing room and sat down on one of the chairs, letting out a frustrated sigh.

"Kane-chan? Why aren't you dressed yet?" Sakura asked as she sauntered over to her friend, her body already fit snugly in the outfit she chose. Akane smiled at the white mini dress Sakura was clad in, the big black bow tied around her chest accentuating her upper curves perfectly.

"Because you models need to eat more," she replied with a silly smile, "Big boobs and puny waists and whatnot." Sakura laughed at Akane's stereotyping and sat down on the chair beside her, pulling on a pair of black heels.

"Why don't you hurry and pick another one? You and Hatori will be staring in a few minutes."

With another deep sigh, Akane stood and walked over to her rack, "I hate modeling."

"It isn't for everyone, Kane-chan!" Sakura shouted as her friend's crazy red hair merged into the mass of different people preparing for the shoot.

"Yeah, yeah!" Akane called over her shoulder with a dismissive wave. Sakura smiled and went back to strapping on her high heels.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Give me more emotion!"

Ryuji had been stressing over the stiffness of his two models and groaned as Akane tripped over one of the props, "Okay, okay, go get a drink of water or something!" he shouted from behind the camera positioned on top of the tripod. He called Akane over as she snatched a bottle of water from the big blue cooler in the corner of the room.

"You called for me?" she asked as she took a swig of the cool, refreshing liquid. Ryuji shook his head from side to side, unfastened his SLR and linked arms with the redhead.

"Listen," he started, taking Akane for a walk around the large room, "I need more emotion from you, look at these photos," he played back the last few pictures he had taken of her and the doctor. Akane cringed at the awkwardness of their positions, and seemed to make a more distasteful face as he moved from picture to picture. "See!" Ryuji said with a laugh, "We wouldn't our reader's to have the same reaction as you do right now!"

Akane sighed and looked at her photographer, "I'm sorry, I'm just really new to this kind of thing. And me and Hatori aren't exactly…" she glanced across the room and let her gaze land on the doctor sitting down with a bottle of water gripped tightly in his hand, "…the best of friends."

Ryuji frowned and held Akane by the shoulders, "Models aren't models because they have the perfect body type or facial features," he said, his serious expression turning into a playful smile, making Akane blush while recalling her previous wardrobe incident. "It's because they can make themselves _appear _to be so."

Akane thought about this for a while, not really getting the point of the photographer's statement.

"Now, what I need from you and Hatori-san is the illusion of being in love," he said while patting her on the shoulder, "Even if you 'aren't'," he finished with air quotes and a knowing wink. Akane instantly turned a shade that rivaled her own hair color and stuttered incomprehensibly. Ryuji laughed loudly and shook her protests off. "So, are we ready to get a little love from you two?"

Akane gave a nervous smile but nodded nonetheless. Ryuji smiled in response and snapped a shot of the redhead's blushing face.

"Perfect."

Akane took long strides to the backdrop of her and Hatori's photoshoot. She gave the doctor a small smile when they caught each other on set and moved to her position. Ryuji set up his camera and fixed the lighting and peered into the eyepiece of his SLR.

"Remember Akane, romance!"

_Snap!_

Akane shuffled in her outfit, her eye twitching at the memory of her blonde friend suggesting the black and grey body hugging skirt and white corset-like bodice. The metal of the thick chain-like necklace sat coolly around her neck and on her chest, and as the first picture was taken, she got into character.

Akane placed her hand on Hatori's shoulder, the soft cotton material bristling under her soft touch. She brought her free hand up to touch Hatori's cheek, nudging it lightly to make him face her. She smiled sympathetically at Hatori's shocked face as the lights flashed, signaling the taking of another picture, "The better our shots are the faster we can get out of this hell hole."

Hatori nodded and pushed the hand on his cheek away, placing his hand at the small of her back and pulling the redhead's body closer to his, making sure their chests don't actually touch. Akane turned bright red at the closeness of her body to his, but remembered to angle her body prooperly. She let her foot's heel come off the floor and tilted her head slightly, allowing the camera to catch a glimpse of her face from the side.

"Oh!" Ryuji exclaimed as he snapped more pictures from behind his camera, "Romantic escapade, indeed!" he stood up from his crouched position and applauded at the scene before him, wiping a few tears of joy. "That should do it for this outfit! Go get changed you two!"

Akane beamed at Hatori and held her hand up for a hi-five, "We did it!" When the stoic man looked down at her from the corner of his eye, not even attempting to return the happy woman's hi-five, Akane sweat dropped while letting her hand fall back to her side and scampered towards her outfit rack.

"Stupid tall old geezer…" she muttered noticing how even in her heels, her head barely reached his chin*.

Akane pulled out the hanger holding her next outfit. Once again, Sakura had chosen the contemporary piece due to the lack of interest Akane had for any of the outfits. She gaped at the outfit she held, never noticing how sheer the piece of clothing actually was. The cloth was gauzy and had different shades of purple, blue, and pink blending together perfectly. Akane snatched the skin-toned body suit (for conservative purposes) and retreated to her dressing room.

The young woman reemerged from the curtains and stepped out barefoot. Her feet glided against the marble floor as she made her way to the make-up section. "Sakura?" she called as she spotted the model getting her hair styled. The blonde looked to her side and smiled at Akane brightly, instantly proud of herself for her choice of clothing for the redhead's contemporary piece.

The thin cloth hugged her chest with the help of a thin chain belt then cascaded loosely around her torso and legs in asymmetrical hems. Sakura thanked her stylist and hopped out of her chair with a thump. She excitedly grabbed Akane's hand and twirled her in place, liking how the loose skirt bubbled around her legs. "You look wonderful, Kane-chan!" she said ecstatically, pulling her in the direction of the table holding all of the shoot's shoes and accessories. "Wait 'til you see Hatori, man is he-"

"Yamamoto-san?"

Akane turned around to look Hatori, and couldn't help but let her jaw drop in astonishment. The incredibly quiet, incredibly good looking man was clad in nothing but black slacks.

Yep, that's right.

Hatori was topless.

_Squee._

Sakura clapped loudly and ushered Hatori beside Akane, holding her hands out in front of her and forming a rectangle with her slim fingers. "Ah," she sighed happily, the stars reappearing in her blue eyes, "Picture perfect,"

Hatori crossed his arms over his bare chest, "I demand a shirt."

Sakura glared at him and pointed, "Our agreement, Hatori!"

The doctor sighed into his open palm, "I'm beginning to think that maybe I should have just let her be…" Akane looked innocently at the two before shrugging off their short conversation.

"Alright, alright!" the three looked to where Ryuji was standing beckoning everyone to move away from the backdrop. He motioned for Hatori and Akane to come over and begin with their next shoot. Sakura smiled at them both and gave them each a pat on the back.

"Goodluck you two,"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

_This is ridiculous._ A vein on Hatori's temple throbbed as the photographer screamed at them to move closer together. _If Ayame and Shigure _ever_ see this…_Hatori shuddered at the image that appeared in his mind, _I'll kill myself._

Hatori suddenly jumped at the cold hand that connected with his bare chest. He looked down at the apologetic eyes of Akane and raised a dark brow at her.

"Sorry, it's getting kind of chilly again," she explained as she withdrew her hand from his chest. Hatori nodded idly and turned back to the camera as Ryuji snapped a picture.

Suddenly, the older man came up to them and pulled Akane away. "One more picture and we're done," he explained as he twisted Akane's body to a certain angle. The redhead ended up kneeling on the floor, one leg stretching out behind her. Her arms were extended to latch on to Hatori's outstretched hand, his face turning away from her.

Akane stared blankly at the doctor's turned face. _So dramatic._

_Click!_

"Okay, we're done! Go change Hatori-san, Akane-san," Akane sighed in relief and released the doctor's hand. Collapsing to the floor in exhaustion, Akane rubbed her bare feet, annoyed at the rough sandpaper needed as props pricking into her feet ever since the start of the second shoot.

"I'm tired!" she whined loudly, her red hair, done in loose curls, sprawled over the scratchy floor, "A break, I need a break!" Sakura dashed over to Akane after her last frame was taken, pulling her arms softly to sit her up.

"Come one Akane, one more theme and we can all go out for some cake," Sakura coaxed her gently, rubbing her back encouragingly, "My treat." Akane's green eyes flickered to meet Sakura's blue ones, giving her taller friend a curious look.

"Cakes?"

Sakura nodded. Akane sighed and pushed herself from the floor, smiling at her friend' offer, "I guess I'll have to endure then, won't I?" Sakura laughed and patted the top of the shorter woman's hair.

"That's my Kane-chan!"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Akane pulled up the silky fabric up her legs and over her hips, pulling the glittery straps over her right shoulder. This was actually the only attire she chose for herself, the fit being perfect save for the length of the skirt, causing the excess material to pool at her heeled feet. The dress was a platinum silver color, the upper torso area being stretched to the hip for a ruffled effect.

The rest of the fabric flowed freely across Akane's legs, the not-supposed-to-be-there train dragging behind her. She looked at herself one last time at the cubicle's mirror, pulling up the dress's sweetheart neckline and adjusting the silver strap clinging to the edge of her shoulder. The redhead took a deep breath and pulled her hair over her shoulder, the dark locks curled in thicker diameters and pinned to the side of her head, allowing the soft curls to cascade down her cheek and brush against her exposed shoulder blades.

She drew back the curtain and smiled as Sakura and Hatori, who were standing in front of the dressing room, looked at the sudden sound of the curtain's ring against the metal of the pole. Akane gave a small smile and shrugged her shoulder lightly, "Well?"

Sakura squealed instantly and attacked her made-up friend with a big hug, jumping up and down despite the three inch heels she was wearing. "You look amazing Kane-chan!" the excited blonde turned to look at the brooding doctor, "Doesn't she, Hatori-san?"

Hatori gave the blushing Akane a once over then focused his dark olive green eyes in her bright ones. "She looks tolerable."

Akane almost fell in her dress at the flatness of the man's comment, "So mean." she sniffed and held her dress up over her feet, allowing her heel-clad feet to march themselves away from Sakura and Hatori, never noticing the small twitch the appeared on the corner of the man's lips.

"Hey, Hatori-san," Sakura said, reaching her hand out to pat said Sohma on the shoulder, "Don't be so mean to Kane-chan, eh?" Hatori glanced at Sakura before allowing a small smile to grace his lips.

"Her reactions are most amusing," he replied with a shake of his head, recalling the several times the redhead lived true to the nature of her hair color. Sakura tilted her head back as if examining the doctor's face and smiled a little.

"As are yours…" she said distantly to no one in particular before walking past him to catch up with Akane.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Bravo, bravo!" Ryuji cried out from behind the camera as Hatori and Akane worked it on the set. Hatori, clad in a pure white tuxedo with a red rose pinned to the white dress coat's pocket, held the much shorter girl by her waist, his free hand holding hers to the side, and draped Akane's free hand over his shoulder. Akane looked up at Hatori and chuckled a little, causing his eyes to flicker at her.

"May I ask what amuses you?"

Akane shook her head apologetically and shifted into a different position, this time her body covering Hatori's with her head titled to the side as the doctor moved closer to her expose neck, "It's just that this all comes naturally for you, I'm quite impressed, really." she said as she held Hatori's hand in her own.

Said man's gaze landed on their connected hands before leaning in closer to Akane's neck, his hot breath contrasting perfectly with her cool skin, "Wasn't it you who said that the better we do the faster it will take? And besides, don't expect that I enjoy this nor will I _ever_ do it again,"

"Eh?" Akane said as Hatori pulled her to a different pose, "But don't you want to try this out professionally?" Hatori shook his head and stood straight from his last position, now making the two of them stand apart from each other.

"No, I don't," he said bluntly, ignoring the lights that flashed as the scene they were displaying was taken, "Even if I wanted to, Akito would never allow it." Akane frowned lightly but didn't press the subject further when Ryuji asked Sakura to join their shoot. Sakura emerged from the sidelines and smiled at the two, holding her dress up with one hand and waving with another.

The blonde was wearing a royal red empire-chest dress, thick silver, glittery bands forming an 'x' across her chest and circling around her waist. Akane smiled and held her hand out to give a hug, and after a few minutes of preparation, the next frames began to be taken. The shoot was much livelier now that Sakura modeled with them; she would pull the two into different positions and show examples of how their faces should look like in what angle, Hatori, of course, barely following it.

"And…" muttered Ryuji as he took the last few frames, "Wonderful! That's all for today!"

The entire crew clapped happily as the three models walked off the prepared set, shaking hands and bowing with one staff after another. Ryuji, now holding six plastic bags with what seemed to have been the outfits they wore, made his way over to his two amateur models, "That was really amazing you two, are you by any chance interested in joining us for another shoot?"

Hatori looked over to Akane as she did to him and bowed stiffly in unison, "No, thank you." Ryuji gave a hearty laugh and patted the two on the back. He then lifted the six bags and handed three to Hatori and the other three to Akane, "Then at least take these off my shoulders?"

Hatori reluctantly took the bags from the scrawny man's hands and muttered a, "Thank you," that seemed more of a sigh than anything else. Akane took hers more graciously and bowed again at the beaming man.

"Thank you very much!" Ryuji waved it off dismissively.

"No, thank you! Now you can actually call yourselves professional models!" he grinned playfully, "Why don't you let these guys change, huh?" Ryuji asked Sakura as she passed by the three. Sakura nodded and led the two to their clothes and belongings, laughing as Akane tripped over the train over her dress several times.

"Hey, Kane-chan," Sakura said as she plopped down on the chair beside the redhead as she stuffed her thing into her bag. The redhead looked up from her belongings and gave a smile to her friend.

"Hey, Sakura."

"I'm afraid I'll have to treat you some other time, Ryuji is making me stay overtime to get some work done," she explained with an apologetic smile. Akane waved it off and stuck her tongue out.

"Yeah, yeah, but you still owe me."

"Of course," Sakura replied while poking Akane's side, giggling as she squealed at the ticklish touch.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Sakura looked up from the developed pictures in front of her and waved at the door as Akane shouted 'bye' to everyone in the set. She smirked to herself in success as she heard footsteps come up behind her, ready for the lecture she'd be getting that day.

"And why, exactly, did you bribe Kazuki and Ayoko with a shopping spree around Tokyo in exchange for them not showing up for the shoot?" Ryuji asked as he leaned against the wall, looking at the blonde model with a raised eyebrow.

Sakura's lips curled upward, happily recalling the past moments Akane and Hatori had during the shoot, "I have my reasons."

_**End Chapter 14**_

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

* - For height references, Akane is 5'4, Sakura is 5'6, and Hatori is 6'0. :) Yes, I torture my characters by making them short. Bwahahaha!

**A/N: **Long chapter overload. *brain short circuits* Too much…outfit…describing…*explodes* Re…view…please? Oh, by the way. I'll be re-editing the first few chapters of Playing the Memories! *iz embarrassed by naïve writing* So, I'll be reposting those chapters before I continue with Chapter 15. :) You _might _want to re-read the entire thing once I'm done editing those chapters, but it's up to you. Again, review!

**P.S. **You'll find out why Hatori agreed to this is in the next chapter. :)


	15. Uhh, still not a chapter

**Notice: **Still not a chapter, sorry. ._. Anyway, I've re-constructed and re-uploaded the first four chapters now, so go check that out. :D Please take the time to point out any inconsistencies I made with the timeline. I didn't have time to go over all of the chapters. *sigh* And now, I shall crawl back in my hole and work on Chapter 15. *type type*


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